Kung Fu Panda: Origins
by Florida's Firefly
Summary: FINISHED! Ju-long is back to steal the Sword of Heroes, forcing Shifu and his six students to roam the mountains to get it back. So when the murder of Po's biological parents clashes with the case of the stolen relic, something big is about to go down.
1. Changzhi

DUDE, I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING!!!!! IT"S HERE, MAN!!!!!! :D

EDIT: BTW, if you're reading this and you haven't read _The First Step_…… It's not a necessity, but I do advise reading the three chapters that are there. It's essentially just a prologue to this story. You can find the it in my profile! :)

Enjoy!!

Benjirou, Taplo, Lin Lin, and Li-hua all belong to me!

All other characters belong to Dreamworks Animation

NO STEALING ANYTHING, YA HEAR??

Have a nice day. :D

_Chapter 1: Changzhi_

Breathing in the morning air, he continued his way through the back gardens of the Jade Palace, towards the Sacred Peach Tree. The stone walkway beneath him was worn and smooth from the many generations that had treaded it before him.

His students – now the sons and daughters he had too long denied himself of having – would be waiting for him in the village square. It was the day of the Changzhi Festival, a celebration that welcomed cooler weather and longer days. Shifu, however, had felt like he needed to go to that painted hill that had so often been a retreat for him and his master. For the third day in a row now, he felt that something was hanging over the Valley and over the Jade Palace itself… And it wasn't something good. And he'd have to figure it out himself this time, without the profound riddles and clues of Master Oogway.

Ever since he had been officially named the _sigung_ – or Grand Master – of the Jade Palace, his wardrobe had changed considerably. His robe had gone from orange burlap to a silken, golden-colored one as a symbol of his prestige. On occasions such as this upcoming festival, he also wore an over-the-shoulder drape, almost identical to the one Master Oogway had had.

It was all still taking some getting used to on Shifu's part. It was really the first time he had ever been dressed so finely, at least since he had had to wear a similar robe of white for his capping ceremony. That had been decades ago, as the ceremony was a coming-of-age tradition in which a boy was named a man. At this point in time, in fact, it wouldn't be long before Po's capping ceremony would take place. The panda would be twenty-one before too long…put aside the fact that he had the spirit of a ten year-old.

Approaching the bare-branched peach tree, the red panda master set aside these thoughts in his mind and took in the sight before him. He was sure there was no grander sight in the world than a sunrise over the misted mountains of the Valley, and no better place to watch it from than beneath the peach tree. The sky was a gradient of oranges, pinks, purples, and blues. The sun was peeking halfway out from behind the clouds. A crisp breeze was blowing up from the Valley, and Shifu let it rush past him and ripple his fur.

It was Oogway's way of saying "Good morning, my old friend."

The old red panda's newfound peace of mind had been a relieving change in the past year. He questioned how there possibly could be _anything_ foreboding over his homeland… Everyone was so happy and the Valley of Peace was the very image of its name for the first time in what seemed like forever. They were well protected, and the warrior they had all waited for nearly a thousand years had finally come.

As Po entered his thoughts again, Shifu turned his head to look over at the peach tree sapling growing not far away from its elder. It was coming along beautifully, growing at exactly the rate it should. The upright position it held told Shifu that its roots were strong and deep. The pre-winter rainstorms had given it quite the head start.

It was as he was thinking on all of this that a sudden wind blasted up from the bottom of the mountain; so intense and curt that Shifu had to hold onto his grounded staff to be avoid being blown back into the dirt. He opened his eyes again just in time to see one of the leaves of the sapling snap off in the pull of the wind and go whipping through the air, drifting wildly off towards the mountains.

Almost as soon as the gale came, it was gone again. Shifu watched the lone leaf until it was but a speck in the distance. He was slightly stunned. _Why, Master?_ He couldn't help but wonder. _What happened?_ It was growing so well where it was!

The response was nothing but still air and the normal twittering of birds in the gardens. The old red panda shook his head and had to inwardly smile. Even now, Oogway spoke in nothing but riddles. So he knew that – like always – there was a message to be uncovered here.

Lowering to his knees beside the plant, Shifu closed his eyes and thought on the matter. His master had used the seed of the plant to symbolize Po. The plant had been growing slowly but surely and was firmly rooted into the ground. Now, a part of it had broken away and drifted from its stronghold, flying to who-knows-where and depending on nothing but the wind to carry it to a new ground and new life.

The master again opened his eyes to gaze down at the plant. He understood.

It was time to tell him.

---

"_Kai shi!!_"

The call to begin sent the crowd into waves of cheers. It was the festival of the winter solstice, just over a year since the Dragon Warrior had defeated Tai Lung. And, at this point in the day, it was time for everyone to see just how far the portly panda had come as a guardian of the Valley. This was the one part _nobody_ dared to miss – a battle between Dragon Warrior Po and ace warrior Master Tigress was the highlight of any day!

Shifu got there not long after the spar had started. He looked up to see how it was progressing so far. Po had certainly improved in his skills over the short year's time, but a few things hadn't changed one bit. He still made nonsensical noises and faces when facing an opponent that simply went beyond the purposeful use of a normal _kiai_, although Shifu had warned him that it made him rather hard to take seriously. The townsfolk seemed to like it, however…

The portly panda was in the middle of one of these aforementioned displays when Tigress rushed at him with a volley of thrust kicks and claw swipes. Po kept her on her toes, and she in turn kept him moving and throwing blocks. The two warriors kept things close contact for a while, many pauses happening with arms locked in some kind of deadly game of cat's cradle. Tigress switched the program rapidly, swiping her foot for the panda's head. Shifu was pleasantly surprised that Po was swift enough to catch it straight in his grasp, which she quickly countered and broke free with a back flip.

He noted how Po was getting better at predicting her next movement and acting on it. _Well, he's at least trying to move with her instead of against her, Shifu thought. I suppose that's improvement._

The two combatants were quickly back to close-quarter sparring again. Po managed to barely avoid a lightning-fast swipe at his head, and quickly returned it. Tigress was ready for him this time, however, as she swiftly knocked his arm aside with one foot and – with the momentum she had gained in her leap – send the other foot plowing into Po's chest. The panda stumbled to his rump from the sudden blow.

"YAH!!" Tigress leapt back into ready stance, waiting for his next move.

Po staggered to his feet and panted for a moment. _If she were a criminal, she wouldn't wait for you to catch your breath, Po,_ Shifu thought. _Jump right back._

It was as if the panda heard him, for he was quick to recover and leap back into fighting stance. The two young warriors had just gotten back into full combat when Shifu felt someone tap on him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Fu."

Shifu spun around to see who had the audacity to address him as such. None of his students ever dared call him that… The only others he knew to ever name him "Fu" were…

"Taplo and Benjirou?" the old red panda stood dumbstruck in front of his childhood playmates.

Benjirou – once the rollicking, riotous pup that had gotten them into numerous bouts of trouble over the years – stood now as an aged otter with a grizzled, gray muzzle and dark brown fur that was mostly covered by a burnt-orange kaftan. Taplo – now a wizened, old goral – stood taller than either of his old friends, cloaked in cerulean blue. The stubby little horns he had once paraded about so proudly were now long, beautiful umber-colored ones. He had a long, thin beard and his pelt had grown darker with age.

"Pardon me," Benjirou smiled as both he and Taplo saluted and bowed their heads. "_Grandmaster_ Fu."

A shocked smile finally found its way across Shifu's features. "What…are you two doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" His otter friend teased. "I'm surprised you even came out of the palace this year! And what on Earth are you dressed as?"

"Leave 'im alone, Benji," Taplo smiled. "Don't make him pull any of that fancy kung fu on you." The old goral looked at Shifu and – after a moment – the smile slid off of his face. "Our condolences about Master Oogway, my friend… It took the whole village by surprise when we heard of his passing."

"He dedicated his life to this valley and everyone in it…" Shifu stated purposefully. "He will never be forgotten."

A sudden cheer from the crowd caused the old friends to look up to where Po and Tigress now seemed to be fighting _sanda_-style. Benji's eyebrows rose as he watched Tigress managed to flip Po onto his back. "Seems she puts up quite a fight for the Dragon Warrior."

"The most dedicated student I have," Shifu commented as the three friends walked on. "Po has surprised me this past year, however… I honestly doubted he could ever defeat Tai Lung. But Master Oogway—"

"Was right?" Taplo smiled.

"As always…"

The hubbub of the festival continued with vendors barking and promoting their goods and games to passer-bys as the elders walked on. They talked about all that had happened in their lives in the past forty years and the bygone years of boyhood they so dearly missed of exploring, swimming, and troublemaking.

Benjirou's family name had plenty to run off of for a few more generations– the old otter had a wife, three sons, a daughter, nine grandchildren, and a tenth on the way. And that excluded the several nephews and grandnephews his four sisters had been giving him. His family still worked the rice paddies out along the outskirts of the village and Benji himself ran a fleet of merchant ships. Old reliable Taplo – whose kind was not susceptible to litters – was happy enough with his wife and one daughter, who had given him two grandsons. The small goral family still carried on the family tradition of working the looms as textile merchants.

As the three old friends strolled through the festival, Taplo remarked that Shifu had yet to see "his second shadow".

"My second shadow?" Shifu smiled. "Lin Lin?"

Sure enough, Lady Lin Lin – once the wide-eyed raccoon pup that wouldn't let Shifu and his friends go for five minutes without their little sister – was now a sophisticated elder of the village and the most elegant and talented erhu player in the Valley of Peace. She always did have a love for music and dancing, Shifu recalled.

"She and her son run a music wagon. They should be around here somewhere…"

It was only then that Shifu's large ears picked up the steady hum of music over the crowds. The hum soon revealed itself to have a definite melody – a soft, careful melody that poured its essence forward like a mountain stream.

"Ah," Benjirou smiled, a signal he heard the music as well. "There she is, right on cue." They followed the string of music, the purr of an erhu.

The crowd soon parted to reveal an old music wagon standing in front of a humble farmer's house. Near the front of the wagon, an aged but lovely female raccoon sat in a chair and was completely enveloped in the melody she was playing – the sweet stream they had heard from behind the masses.

The grace with which she handled the Chinese violin was so careful and precise. Her fingers moved in a delicate yet methodical dance along the strings of the old instrument, her arm holding the polished wood neck at a perfectly poised angle. She had rendered Shifu dumbstruck for a moment. Never could've he imagined that the bubbly, giggly pup that had attached herself to him like a freckle could blossom into such a lady, an image of elegance.

"Go on and get reacquainted, Fu," Benji encouraged. "She's been worried stiff about you ever since Master Oogway passed away."

Lin Lin finished her song with one final skate of the bow across the strings. She snapped her head up when a voice addressed her.

"Beautiful, my lady," he smiled. "The music, too."

She was quick to rise to her feet. "Shifu??"

"Lady Lin Lin?" he grinned. He half-expected her to throw her arms around his neck like she always did as a pup, but certainly didn't expect what she did instead.

She quickly folded her hands together below her waist and lowered her chin, staring at the ground. "…F-Forgive me, Grandmaster… That was very disrespectful of me."

Shifu then realized it. Of course… She had been born and raised to learn the traditional conduct of women – to be obedient, to always remain respectful, and to be silent unless spoken to. She had learned this long before Tigress and Viper had come to the Palace and had shown them all what a woman could be.

"Lin Lin, please, this is me you're talking to," he implored. "Shifu? Fu…? Your 'favoritest' big brother?" A smile finally crept its way across her face at this, and only then did she turn her eyes up to look at him. He loved seeing those dimples again.

She stood straight again. "Oh, I almost forgot…" She turned and walked toward the little house directly behind the wagon. "Wait here a second," she smiled. "I have someone I want you to meet."

Shifu watched her disappear into the little house. As he waited for her, he let his eyes wander across the merchandise on the wagon. There were delicately created musical instruments like guans, bawus, erhus, and guqins – all of which were birthed from the careful fingers of Lin Lin and her son. There was also evidence on the wagon of where she had mended the strings of their crafts and he had carved and polished stalks of bamboo and tablets of obsidian.

From inside, he could hear Lin Lin saying something softly, though he couldn't tell what. The red panda wondered what the son of Lin Lin was like. She was always such a lady, even at four years old…and back then, she had always talked about having daughters. Even the little rabbit doll she had carried around with her everywhere was of the feminine persuasion – Lei, by name – even though the silken doll was clearly dressed in a man's blue tunic.

He looked up as his old friend came back out. No one seemed to be following her, though. Stepping up to him, Lin Lin glanced back and spoke up. "Come on now, darling, don't be rude."

Shifu looked towards the doorway in expectance, and was puzzled when nothing came. A motion out of the corner of his eye caused him to look back down. He couldn't have been more surprised when a tiny paw grasped Lin Lin's skirt and a pair of eyes carefully poked out. The raccoon pup that he found standing before him was certainly not who Shifu had expected. It was almost as if he were staring at the little Lin Lin he remembered from over fifty years ago. In fact, the only differences were that this little one had lovely, baby blue eyes and wore a dainty cheongsam of spring green.

"This is Li-hua, my granddaughter," Lin Lin's voice brought the old red panda from his pondering. She placed a gentle paw atop the pup's head. "She's helping me around the shop while her parents are off to Xinxiang province. Li-hua, this is Grandmaster Shifu. He's been my friend since I was your age."

The little raccoon still only let no more than her soft-colored eyes come around to peek out at their strange visitor.

"Go on, darling," Lin Lin urged. "He won't bite, I promise. Now, be a lady and say hello."

Shifu had to smile at the little girl's shy nature. He recalled how he had always been able to cheer Lin Lin up with a bit of "slight-of-hand" back in the day, and discreetly reached back to pick a tiny white flower that was growing in the grass behind him.

Li-hua stepped forward shyly, keeping her chin down but gazing uncomfortably up at him. She leaned forward as her mother had taught her to in the presence of her elders. "Hello, Grandmaster Shifu…" she said quietly. "It's very nice to meet you…sir…"

"It's very nice to meet you too, Li-hua," he smiled. "I understand you're helping your grandmother run the store today?"

"Yessir…." She almost whispered.

Shifu brought up a hand to ponderingly stroke a whisker. "Hmm…let me ask you something, young one. When you're not helping around the store, what do you like to do?"

Li-hua was silent, staring at the ground again.

Shifu knelt down on one knee in front of her. He had learned firsthand from Oogway that getting down to a child's eye level was much less intimidating than towering over her. He tried again to gently coax her from her shell. "Your grandmother loved to dance when she was your age. Do you like dancing?"

Not a word.

Lin Lin sighed. "I'm sorry, Master Shifu, she isn't usually this—"

"No, no," Shifu waved it off. "It's all right." He looked at Li-hua again and his ear twitched forward slightly. "…What about flowers?"

She finally lifted her eyes to meet his.

_Well, it's a start._

"Hmm…" Shifu thoughtfully stroked his beard for a moment, "Now, wait a second, what do we have here?" He extended a paw and reached it for her ear. He flicked his wrist and, when he had pulled his arm back again, he was holding the little white flower he had picked earlier.

Li-hua gave a gasp, quickly bringing her paw up to feel her ear. "_Nai Nai_, look!" She looked back at Lin Lin and pointed at the flower.

She chuckled as the little raccoon took the tiny flower in her fingers. "Grandmaster Shifu is full of surprises, my dear." She walked forward and leaned down, allowing Li-hua to hand over the flower. She then carefully tucked the flower behind her granddaughter's ear. "What do you say, Li-hua?" she smiled.

"Thank you, Grandmaster Shifu," she turned to the old red panda and bowed her head, actually smiling at him this time.

"Not at all," he winked at her.

"You have really big ears," she added innocently, her voice still fairly quiet and soft so her grandmother couldn't hear.

"Why, thank you," Shifu smiled back in an equally quiet voice. "Yours are coming along quite nicely, too." He then glanced up at his old friend. "Lin Lin, why don't you and Li-hua come out to the festival in a few moments? We'll let her have a bit of fun. And if you don't mind hanging out with a few old cronies," he smirked, "Benji and Taplo are here."

Meanwhile, as the master was getting reacquainted with his old friends, Po and Tigress were still at it in the square. They had been taking turns as top dog throughout the battle and things were coming down to the wire. She threw herself into a blur of flame-orange fur, twisting around to plow her heel into Po's face again. The panda swung his head out of the way just in time, and – somewhere in there – Tigress felt something abruptly yank her to a stop.

Oh, he did not.

Yep. He had her by the tail.

She gritted her teeth in annoyance. "Po…" she growled under her breath. She looked at him. A mocking glimmer across his boyish face. This was a game to him.

Holding the tiger by the tail with both paws, Po was able to block a few more of her attacks. This was too easy. He'd pull just the same trick as he did with Tai Lung. One little headbutt and he'd have the advantage.

Yet before he even had the chance to flip her, she beat him to it. One minute, she had back flipped into the air and the next, he had a headache as big as the Jade Palace itself. What just happened? The flood of shouts from the crowd gave him the general idea. Tigress had, in her quick thinking, bended back to seize the panda by his ears and deal him a swift head butt of her own.

No fair! He didn't have panda padding there!

This time, Tigress didn't wait for him to recover and leapt at him again. Po gritted his teeth and brought his arm up in defense. For one brief moment, they stood with their left arms intersecting each other's and locked eyes. She gave her right ear the slightest twitch. The signal. Po acknowledged it with a quick simper and instantly allowed her to twist away from their arm lock.

She landed in her namesake's stance for one brief second. For the love of Pete, did she _really_ have to do this?

Growling, she kicked again with all her strength and couldn't help but cringe when Po caught her foot under his arm. He stepped forward. Then, with a swift sweep of his foot, he knocked her other leg out from under her for the takedown.

Tigress hit the floor straight on her back. The shrill ring of a gong reached her ear. Their battle was over.

The referee – a paunchy old boar - approached to raise Po's arm and declare him the winner.

After that, the two combatants stood face-to-face and saluted each other. "Nice fake," Po complimented under his breath. "Didn't actually hurt you, did I?"

"What did we say about the tail?" Tigress challenged through her teeth.

"It worked, didn't it?"

"I will claw you later, Dragon Warrior."

In all honestly, Po had a lot more to learn and still couldn't seem to beat Tigress in a match. Until then, they had to fake it. The villagers depended on their Dragon Warrior to be the unbeatable legend he had always been depicted as, after all…

As the two young warriors departed from the square and the crowd began to scatter back into the day's festivities. Po's attention was drawn by his master's approach with an otter, a goral, and a raccoon – none of whom he recognized.

"Wonderful performance, Dragon Warrior," Taplo smiled, bowing his head to the young bear. "Congratulations on your victory."

Po opened his mouth to speak but not before he made eye contact with his master. Shifu discreetly motioned for him to play along, to which he quickly acted on.

"Thank you…sir," he bowed back.

"Benjirou, Taplo, Lin Lin," Shifu introduced. "This is my student, Ping Po." He saw the panda wince at the use of his full name. "Po, these are three old friends of mine. Bìhăi Benjirou, Yun Taplo, and Lady Lin Lin."

Benjirou smiled at the panda. "I suppose we don't have to tell you what an entertaining character you master is, young Po."

"Yeah, we all took a vote…" Po simpered. "We're keeping him."

From behind him, Shifu saw the remainder of his students approach. "You asked to see us, Master?" Crane was the first to speak.

"Offhand, yes," Shifu smiled. The formalities recommenced as he introduced his students one by one. After this, he drew a breath. "…Well, I suppose as long as we're here… You all go on and enjoy the festival."

"Seriously?" Po grinned.

"You mean we have the rest of the day off?" Monkey piped up.

"Yes, yes," Shifu rolled his eyes with a smile. "Now move along before I change my mind," he joked. "I will meet you back at the gates after the fireworks. Remember that you represent the Jade Palace and the very teachings of Master Oogway."

His seven students saluted him. "Master."

As they turned to leave, Po glanced back at the old red panda. "You rock, Master."

Shifu smirked. "As is my custom, Dragon Warrior."

"What, whatever happened to 'the mark of a true hero is humility'?"

"…Go."

"Gone." Po grinned and dashed off after his fellow students.

It struck Shifu like a ton of bricks what he had originally come to tell Po. "Wait, wait, Po!" he called out, making his portly student once more skid to a stop. "I almost forgot… I need to speak with you tonight. In front of your father's shop when the fireworks start."

Po twiddled his thumbs anxiously. "…Am I in…trouble?"

His master shook his head. "I'm…honestly not sure, Panda. Not with me, anyway."

The panda gave a relieved sigh, murmuring something about a hole in the _kwoon_ wall. "Sure, Master, I'll be there," he smiled crookedly before he left again.

"Hmm," Taplo stroked his beard as he watched him leave. "He reminds me of a certain red panda cub I used to know."

"Yes, well, don't tell _him_ that." Shifu sent him a lowered brow.

"So Grandmaster," Benjirou smirked. "You still boast yourself as the undisputed master of 'Hopping Chicken'?"

"Hopping Chicken _and_ Shuttlecock, Benji," Shifu allowed himself his own boasting smirk, giving his staff an assertive tap on the floor.

"Oooooooooh, scary," the otter wiggled his fingers mockingly.

Lin Lin crossed her arms across her chest with a simper to Taplo. "Looks like I didn't miss much in the past forty years…"

As the old master carried on with his old friends, the festival lasted long after sunset. It was a day to be young again… At least, for Shifu, it was until the fireworks started. Once Benjirou and Taplo had returned to their families and Lin Lin had taken her granddaughter to the main footbridge to watch the "sparkle flowers" as Li-hua called them, Shifu made his way towards Mr. Ping's noodle shop. He stood in front of the archway and watched the fireworks for a few minutes until he finally saw Po approaching.

"I wondered if you were going to show up," he smirked.

Po gave a sideways grin. "Not like I had a choice… H-Hey, um…before we start, could I…?" he motioned towards the shop.

_Or course he wants food… What possessed me to think he wouldn't just at the critical moment?_ "…I can't believe I'm saying this, but fine… I want you back here in _five minutes_, Panda."

"Awesome," the Dragon Warrior grinned and proceeded to scurry off into the restaurant.

Shifu sighed. He couldn't believe he had agreed to that… But then again, he had a feeling that even Po might lose his appetite after hearing what his old master had to tell him…

_**TBC…**_

_BTW, if anyone happens by my art site, check out my version of this chapter with my good friend Cryssy-Miu's character, Kurisu! :)_


	2. Ready or Not

'Ello!! :) Just so ya'll know, it may be a while before Chapter 3 comes around… I have finals next week. (slams head repeatedly against brick wall) But Chapter 3 will be when the action really takes off, so stick around! :D

BTW, I really appreciate it to whoever had written a review so far! :) But, c'mon, people…only 2 reviews? :( To be honest, I first started writing down ideas for this story since the end of last May and I've been sculpting the story ever since – pleeeeease review? (puppy eyes)

Enjoy!

Benjirou, Taplo, Lin Lin, Li-hua, Chang, Izotakeshi, and Fei all belong to me! :D All other characters belong to Dreamworks Animation.

_Chapter 2: Ready or Not_

"When I said five minutes," Shifu droned, "I meant f_ive_, _not fifteen_."

Po bit his lip from where he stood on one foot with his bowl of rice on top of his head. Standing on one foot wouldn't have been bad in itself, but Shifu had ordered him to do so while holding an eagle claw stance. The stance required bending forward with your torso nearly parallel to the ground while almost crouching to the said dirt on one foot and the other folded across your knee. To complete it, the arms were held out to the side in a mimic of eagle's wings and the hands were tensed in a clawed position.

It was a terrible stance to be forced to hold…as Po now had to do for the extra ten minutes he had absentmindedly choked his leash with. The panda's ankle wobbled and he bit his tongue determinedly, almost cross-eyed as he tried to see the bowl on his head.

"You're thinking about it too hard," Shifu frowned. "Don't think about the food."

Po's arms wobbled a bit. "But th-that's what you've always told me to do!"

"You won't always have a snack around to look forward to the next time you're fighting off bandits. What then?"

Po pouted. "I could fight without food if I had to."

"Hmm…"

"I could!"

"The day you prove yourself, Panda, will be the day that you defeat _me_ in a match…without the incentive of food," Shifu announced with a simper.

Po waved his arms, almost losing his balance. He grinned to himself once he steadied himself again. "So what'd you wanna talk to me about?"

"Ah… Perhaps you want to finish what you're doing first."

"Meh, try me."

Shifu sighed to himself. _Well, he asked for it… _"How much do you know about your family, Po?"

"Not much…" the panda answered nonchalantly. "It's been me and my dad as far back as I can remember."

"Your dad… Meaning Mr. Ping…" The old master shook his head. "…Don't you have any idea who you are?"

"Course I do," Po was obliged to inform him. "Ping Po, Dragon Warrior, the first panda to ever be schooled at the Jade Palace."

"No, Po. You're not the first."

Shifu's only response to this was a sudden blur of black and white that crashed back onto the ground in a flurry of fur. The master calmly caught the bowl of rice in his hand, not a single grain out of place.

Po lifted his head from the ground. "Wait, _what?"_

"You are not the first panda to have trained here."

…_Explanation, please?? _Po's wide-eyed stare read.

Shifu came straight out with it. "Your father trained under Master Oogway. I knew him personally."

"My father?" The panda's brow arched. "Master Shifu, my father has never remotely _touched_ kung fu, my whole life he's never even…"

He paused upon noticing the disparaging, glazed-over look in his master's eyes that he'd seen before. It only took Po a few moments to piece things together.

Oh…

…Oh, man…

…Oh, _snap_.

Not a goose. _Not_ a goose.

Aah, _CRUD_.

"You didn't _really_ think that you were Ping's actual son, did you?"

Shifu's question barely drew the young Dragon Warrior out of his daze. "Wha…I-I mean, yeah I knew that he couldn't have actually…I mean… You knew him??"

"Chang was a devoted warrior. Also a rather stubborn one… " The master rolled his eyes, his tone dripping with sarcasm on his next statement. "He and his brother were a regular comedic duo…"

"B-Brother?" Po stuttered. Now he had an uncle in the picture, too?

"Kasem," Shifu replied. "He and Chang were the some of the most talented and yet most immature students I've ever trained. They were constantly at each other's throats and pulling prank after prank. I don't know how they managed to train day in and day out."

Po's jade green eyes were still wide from the general shock of it all. "Well…why'd I end up with a goose?"

Shifu shook his head, a twinge of sadness in his voice. "…Sometimes our paths are altered at the expense of ourselves, and of others."

Po had a feeling he wasn't going to like this. "…Meaning?"

His master didn't answer him at first. "…Po, have you ever heard of the Ju-long Alliance?"

The panda instantly and subconsciously slipped into fanboy mode. "Aw, yeah! The Battalion of 1,000 Ages! They're the guys with totally awesome weapon tricks and—"

"First off, let's get one thing straight, Dragon Warrior," Shifu interrupted. His ears were folded back against his head, an indication to Po that he had struck a nerve. "The Ju-long Alliance is in no way, shape, or form, 'awesome'. They are thieves and _murderers_ that have terrified and taken the lives of _hundreds_, man, woman, and child alike!!" he barked.

Forget touched, that nerve was _tweaked_.

"Izotakeshi is their leader. He's the one that killed your parents. They died trying to protect you from the Alliance."

Po was nothing short of thunderstruck.

"Now you tell me how 'awesome' you think they are now," Shifu challenged.

_That _hurt. That _really_ hurt. "I… I-I'm sorry, Master…"

Shifu kept his glare ever so slightly before it faded off. "…Never had I seen two people more in love with each other than your mother and father, Po. Lady Fei was more than just Chang's mate… She was the love of his life."

_Fei… _'Flying'.

"…What…" Po could hardly get a word out, "…wh-what was Lady Fei…like…?"

"She was beautiful… Always wore a Persian lilac behind her ear." Shifu gave a small smile. "You _do _have her eyes, I see it now. Chang was right."

Po bit his lower lip slightly. How do you respond to a comment like that? He didn't know a thing about his mother's eyes… Apparently, she had green eyes too?

"Chang and Kasem left the Jade Palace that night as if it were any other day… I don't know what happened between then and the report of the aftermath… All I know is that your parents fought to the end for you, Po… They gave their very lives for the greatest gift they deemed themselves to ever have been granted… And here you are."

And Po was rendered wordless. He stared down at his feet – or what would've been his feet was it not for his trademark paunch. For some reason, he suddenly felt dirty. Not dirty as in wretched, but dirty as in…grimy.

"Anyway…" Shifu shook his head with a twinge of sadness about him. "That's all I really wanted you to know… You'll be named a man very soon, Po, and Mr. Ping and I have agreed that you have every right to know about where you came from."

"…Th-Thank…you…Master…" Po gave a bit of a limp salute. _I think?_

"Go on and watch the rest of the fireworks," Shifu dismissed him. "I'll see you and the others by the gate in a few moments."

After his master left, Po looked up at those bursts of light in the sky. Throughout that fateful conversation, they had illuminated the dark street in flashes of every color imaginable.

Yes, enjoy the fireworks, little orphan Po.

He subconsciously picked up a helping of rice in his chopsticks and had started to bring it to his mouth…then stopped. He frowned and forked the utensils back into the bowl.

Now that he thought about it…his appetite was shot.

_**TBC…**_


	3. Midnight Melee

The plot for Kung Fu Panda 2 has just been released!! SQUEE!!!!

Nothin' really much to say here except for "hang on!!" PLEEEEASE read and review and thank you so much to those who have!!

And for those of you who wonder it – a tigard _is_ a real animal! :D

Enjoy!

Hei Long, Abhik, Jin, and Izotakeshi all belong to me! :D All other characters belong to Dreamworks Animation.

_Chapter 3: Midnight Melee_

The storm had arrived – poised to strike and devour.

_Crick._

Blue orbs opened and white ears flicked upright. Shifu shot up in bed, all of his senses immediately on vigil. His fingers dug into the mat beneath him and his ears pulled his eyes in the direction of the door. Whatever it was, it was in the dormitory. _Why would it be in the dormitory? _…Unless it had something it wanted with him, or his students, or both.

Maintaining the lightest steps he could, the old master rose from his mat and stepped quietly towards the doorway. He could see the perpetrator's shadow now, looming through the hall. Approaching the door, Shifu grazed his fingers against the frame, poised to throw it open and light into the miscreant. He took a deep breath. _Show your force but do not flaunt it._

He acted rapidly. Throwing the door open just enough to slip out, Shifu cart wheeled and landed in a crouch stance, eyes narrowed fiercely at the threat before him.

The threat with green eyes, black and white fur, two cookies sticking halfway out of its mouth, a cat-ate-the-canary expression across its crumb-covered face…and had most likely just gourmandized all of the sesame sticks.

Shifu relaxed from his stance. "Po! You are to remain in your chambers from curfew to sunrise, no exceptions! How many times must I say it??"

He knew why Po was up stuffing his face, and that he had every right to be upset. He'd let him off easy…this time. The young Dragon Warrior, however, was already on the defensive.

"Gimme a break, I didn't get dinner!"

"Mark me, Panda, if I ever wake up to your antics again, I will--!"

_Crick._

Shifu froze, his ears springing upright and forward to listen again. He gave Po a once over. "…That wasn't you?"

"…Does this mean I'm not in trouble?"

The small master leapt up on his shoulder and slapped his paws over the crumb-covered lips. They both listened to the deafening silence that followed…before a heavy shifting noise suddenly sounded above them.

"Somebody's on the roof…" Shifu's ears picked up the mass then quickly shifting its weight to make room for another mass, then a third. The sounds then became quicker and grew distant, traveling down the hall.

"They're headed for the Hall of Warriors," the red panda announced, and was dashing away quickly than Po could register it. Stuffing his last cookie in his mouth, he ran after his master.

He was suddenly yanked to a halt at the doorway and pushed against the wall by the smaller mammal, who gritted his teeth and sent him a urging "_Shush!_" They leaned forward just enough to look out into the hall and just in time to see the attic hatch slowly open.

Then, before Po could blink, a dark figure dropped from the hatch and landed on all fours with the silence of a falling feather. A long, cattish tail swished back and forth, and the glow of the Moon Pool reflected off the glowing, ice-blue eyes. When he stood upright again, Po and Shifu could make out the orange fur and stripes of a tiger but the build of a snow leopard. A thin, grizzly brown mane ran down the muscled back, halfway covered by a quiver of arrows and a solid black archer's bow. A growl rolled in the big cat's throat as he turned and took a scourging look around the hall, blue orbs piercing the darkness.

He then lifted a brawny arm and signaled to someone above him. Another form dropped from the hatch, this one a lanky black wolf. The third figure nearly made Po's heart stop, as it swung in onto one of the pillars and silently scaled down to the floor – a stone-faced gorilla.

The wolf muttered something unintelligible, and Po and Shifu had to listen closely to hear what they were talking about.

"Look, moron, you're making this harder than it is," the gorilla growled to the wolf.

"Keep your voices down!" the big cat snapped a whisper at his companions. "If we get caught, the commander will be wearin' our skins come next winter!"

"You're not in any position to order us around, Hei," the gorilla fired back. "It's only by a prayer that the boss hasn't killed you yet."

Hei growled and seized the gorilla by the throat. "And it's only by a stroke of luck that I haven't killed _you_ yet, Abhik. And I'm _this_ close, so let's clear the way for Commander Izo and grab the ancient slab of steel and _get_," he snarled, still maintaining a whisper regardless. He shoved Abhik away, and the three animals continued down the hall.

Po and Shifu quickly ducked behind the corner, getting out of sight. "Ju-long…" the red panda muttered spitefully.

Po looked at his master, the reality of the situation sinking in. "What do we do?"

"Wake everyone up," Shifu whispered, "And meet me up in the loft immediately."

Student and master quietly parted ways. Keeping to the shadows, Shifu made quick and silent work of scaling the pillars to reach the loft hatch above. It didn't take long at all to rendezvous with his students. Seven figures poked their heads silently over the edge of the attic hatch, peering in. They all remained stone silent, silently observing the uninvited visitors.

Po stared back down at the large, orange-furred cat, who had an arrow propped in his bow and looked set to shoot at a moment's notice while the others struggled to open the main doors as silently as possible. "Uh, Master Shifu…?" the panda piped up, keeping to a whisper. "Is that someone I'm supposed to know?"

"Hei."

"What?"

"Hei."

"Hey what?"

"Long."

"What is?"

"_He _is!"

"He's what?

"Hei."

"_What?_"

"_Hei!_"

"_Hello_, you've got my attention already!"

Shifu slapped a paw over her mouth. "His _name_ is Hei Long."

Po sniggered. "Who goes through life with a name like 'Hei'?"

"It means 'black dragon', Panda," his master frowned. "And he is nothing to sneeze at."

"Oh yeah, sneeze, that's regular Hei Fever," the panda cackled at his own joke.

Shifu glared. "He's Izotakeshi's right-hand man."

Po's laugh trailed off. _When am I going to learn to keep my big mouth shut? _He looked back down at the accursedly named cat. "Okay, not to sound stupid, but…what _is _he?"

"A tigard."

_First the name, now the species??_ "What is this guy, an alien??"

"_Shush_!" Shifu snapped. "His father was a Manchurian tiger ranger and his mother was a snow leopard. Nothing much is known about his history except that he's been training and residing within the Alliance since he was eight years old."

"Talk about long term…" Crane put in.

"The average time for a warrior to reach such a rank as leadership is about 40 years."

Po put up a paw. "Wait, wait, so Mr. Hey-You is the leader? I thought you said Izzy whats-his-name was the leader of Ju—"

The panda's question was abruptly answered when a heavier sound came from below. The three Ju-long warriors were already kneeling on the floor with their heads bowed in reverence to the figure that was coming in now – the respected leader.

Po did a double take. It was a _panda_. Larger than even the Dragon Warrior himself, the leader was built of bulk from head to foot. His eyes were hidden underneath a sturdy straw coolie hat. He wore a golden-colored robe with black trim, a black sash, and black pants. Latched around his neck and flowing behind him was a burgundy cape with a great yellow phoenix ramping across it. And last but certainly not least was the customary Ju-long _chiang_ medallion hung around his neck, the flint scratched and worn from decay of time.

He had claws. _Mean_ ones. An observer's eyes instantly went from there to where the leader had three long scars running down the length of his left forearm.

Po looked a bit staggered. He had never seen another of his own species before. "…Master Shifu…?" he spoke up quietly, his voice failing him slightly. "…i-is that…?"

"Izotakeshi." Shifu confirmed, not breaking his glare on the marauding panda.

Po's stomach gave a sickening flip. He hadn't even known about this guy for a full four hours and already he was staring straight at his parents' murderer.

A deathly silence fell over the seven warriors and the Ju-long followers. Izotakeshi stood tall with his arms folded masterfully behind his back as he walked forward into the hall. He was followed by at least eight other of his cronies, who all fell into line beside their comrades and stood to attention before their commander.

The brawny panda finally turned towards his disciples.

"My dear ladies, the Sword of Heroes is the lord of all blades across the empire, said to have slain three mountain giants the first day of its existence. It is, without question, the gem of the Jade Palace, a priceless artifact now come to rest in this hall to retell its glory to the sons and daughters of China." A pause…then a smirk. "Too bad it won't stay that way."

Mantis gasped. "Oh-_no_ they didn't."

Shifu pressed his finger over the bug's mouth and made a signaling motion towards Monkey and Viper – them along with himself being the best climbers of the group. The three of them snuck silently down from the hatch, each positioning themselves high up on the nearest pillars. The red panda master ducked behind his own pillar, observing the small army below them. He lifted a hand, signaling his students to hold back, and watched Izo walk over to Oogway's staff – which had been placed back on its pedestal for the night.

The panda nonchalantly picked the staff up with a single paw. "See, what did I tell ya…" He smirked, turning to his men. "He's gone."

"_Now_!!"

"Death from _aboooooooove!!_" Po hollered, as all eight warriors rained down from the ceiling in a flurry of color. Most of the marauders snapped their heads up only to be greeted by a swift foot to the face. Izo snarled and swiftly swung a paw up to grab Shifu's foot, which the master dodged with a swift twist of his body and instead drove his heel into the panda's face. Tigress lunged at Hei with a fierce roar, Po lit into Abhik, and the Hall of Warriors quickly became a battlefield.

Shifu's foot made contact with Izo's blocking arm and the two leaders leapt back into stance in a face-off. The panda freebooter took one look at the finely robed master and smirked. "Well, well… Look who stepped up."

"Hello, Izotakeshi." Shifu growled. "You have exactly three seconds to get your sorry monochromatic hide out of my palace before I take ejecting liberties."

Izo seemed more amused than anything at the threat. "Well…comforting to know you haven't changed… Just came to make a few amends… Leave my mark, so to speak." He casually set Oogway's staff back on its stand.

The fur on the back of Shifu's neck stood on end and he gave a growl. "Mitsuo Izotakeshi, you lay a malign claw on any _one_ of my students again and you have my word I will _outright_—!"

"_Chill_," Izo put up a paw, staring the master in the eye. "I have more important things to worry about."

Shifu didn't give him a chance to expand on that, dashing at him to throw a fist in his snout.

The discord of the battle carried on for minutes that felt like hours. In the middle of it all, Shifu managed to catch sight of his young panda student. Po had just dropped to all fours, allowing Tigress to run at him from behind and use him as a ramp. She launched off of him, lighting right into a Ju-long eagle.

"Po!" Shifu called out, to which the young bear quickly stood to attention. "Guard the sword!!"

The Dragon Warrior spun around and darted over to the sword to snatch it as fast as he could. But as soon as he reached for it, he was stopped when a furry black paw – very similar to his own save for three ugly scars – lashed out and grabbed his outstretched arm. He glanced over to come face-to-face with Izotakeshi, the ever-snarling presence.

To say Po was scared would be an outright lie… The young panda was _terrified_, practically shaking in his cloth shoes as he found himself staring straight into the murderer's dark and cold eyes. He swallowed hard, his jade green orbs practically doubled in size.

Izo growled, his grip still ironclad. "I know you…" he narrowed his eyes, advancing towards the younger panda. "You're the one everyone's been squealing about… The 'Dragon Warrior', I presume?" he snarled.

"U-Um…" Po started to edge back against the wall a bit, trying to pull his paw from the fiend's grasp. "…I-I…don't know of any Dragon Warrior, your Creepiness…ness…"

Izo snarled, tossing the panda's arm back to him rather forcefully. "You lyin' to me, cub?"

"N-No, sir!" Po practically squeaked, edging back further against the wall.

Izo wasn't buying it, not for a second – that much was apparent. Po gulped again before speaking up in a shaky voice. "Y-You know, I am the Dragon Warrior now that I think of it, a-and you know, I-I kinda forgot about it there for a second, 'cause I just came back from a vacation to Sri Lanka, and—"

Po's nervous rant was interrupted when he saw Izo whip something out of his belt and fling it at him in the mere span of a second. The Dragon Warrior yelped as the projectile landed in the wall a mere centimeter from his face. He opened eyes when he felt no sting of a blade and stared into his own green eyes reflected off of the ninja star. He looked back at Izo, who now stood and glared fiercely at him. "…N-N-Nice shot…" Po stuttered, lips twitching in a terrified grin.

A growl merely rolled in Izo's throat. Po returned his glance to the weapon before him. It seemed a lot like the ones he'd had at home…except that this was about ten times a finer material, crafted of wrought, gleaming black steel. Bringing a shaky paw up, Po carefully gripped an arm of the star and tried to pull it out of the wall, in which Izo had almost driven just as hard and deep into his hide. When it finally came loose, the young Dragon Warrior could only hold onto it and stare at the many scratches and imperfections in the blades. Just how many innocents hadn't been so lucky at the edges of the same star… Perhaps even his own parents, his own flesh and blood?

He could still feel the marauder's flashing eyes on him and bit his lip a little, looking back at him. Quietly, sheepishly, he stepped forward and held the ninja star back out to Izo with his fingers trembling a bit.

He was merely met with a snarl and a hard backhand to the head and his chin hit the jade floor. With a gasp, he quickly leapt up into stance against the Ju-long leader just as Izo seized the Sword of Heroes and swung it at the younger panda's head. It nearly made Po fall back on his tail – which, he realized – would've been the kiss of death at this moment.

The Dragon Warrior's size and considerable girth had always been his greatest advantage in combat…but it meant next to nothing now that he was facing an opponent bigger even than him. Izo simply moved too fast for him, never allowing him a chance to strike back or even get a block in. The panda leader swiftly knocked him forward, then immediately landed a heavy strike straight down on Po's back, slamming him into the ground. The younger panda gave a pained yelp.

"_Fallback!!_" Izo snarled back at his men, Sword of Heroes gripped in his paw. Not daring to ignore their commander's orders, each Ju-long warrior in the hall retreated from mid-combat and bolted for the main doors.

This distracted Shifu for one second, but it was enough for Hei to furiously swipe his paw at the red panda and send him tumbling across the hard floor. Bouncing back quickly, the old master lifted his head just in time to catch a glance of the relic sword in Izo's paw before the doors started to close.

"_No!!_" He leapt to his feet and barreled over to stop them…reaching them just as his fists clashed against the mahogany barricades that were the doors. "Augh!!" he gritted his teeth and pulled one door open enough to slip out and dash out onto the top of the stairs… Yet he was met only by the silent, star-laden night. There was not a sign or a trace or a sound of Ju-long anywhere.

Shifu clenched his fists, ears going back in shame. But, with the sword now gone, he didn't have time to stand around and berate himself.

He entered through the front doors again and looked across the jade floors of the palace that had become the battlefield where all six of his students were catching their breaths and pushing themselves back to their feet. Most of them were nursing some wound or another. Shifu could only stand there at first, the full extent of what had just happened settling in. He and his students had just taken on the brunt of a full-force break-in.

The outcome of battle? Ju-long: 7, Jade Palace: 0.

Stepping forward, the old master got to work on treating his students. He first healed Crane of a desensitizing nerve strike that Jin, the gangly black wolf, had dealt to immobilize the lanky bird.

Po himself was still recovering from Izo's finalizing blow to his back as he started to get up. "_Ahhoww_!" he yelped and put his head back down. "Oh, bad idea, bad idea, very bad idea…"

Shifu, having seen for himself the blow his student had taken from the Ju-long leader, went to the young panda's aid once he helped Monkey to try and walk out a limp by consequence of Abhik's fist. He jumped up on Po's back and felt along his spine under the thick fur until he found where Izo's strike had nearly knocked a vertebra out of place. He proceeded to use his unique method of chiropractics to straighten the poor panda's spine with a sharp crackling noise. "_Gaahh!_" Po gasped, followed by a whimper. "Man, that hurt!"

"I told you they were nothing to sneeze at…" Shifu commented as he continued on to aid Tigress, who painfully held a dislocated shoulder. The shamed silence of his students was deafening and admittedly heartbreaking to the old master. "Consider yourselves lucky, my students… You're all lucky to be alive after a scrap with Ju-long."

"Oww…" Mantis moaned. "Paaaain…"

Tigress looked up at Shifu as he walked over and took a hold of her striped arm. "We can't just allow them to run off with Sword of Heroes—" she gave a sharp gasp of pain when her master managed to relocate her shoulder.

"That we cannot…" Shifu agreed, gently aiding her arm back to a natural position.

"D-Didn't you see what he did??" Po limped onto his feet. Tha-That _maniac_ almost killed me! I kn-know we have to get the sword n' all, but…" He put a paw to his sore back. "Owww!"

"The Sword of Heroes is a part of the valley's history." Shifu continued to go from student to student, aiding to their injuries. "And we cannot allow it to fall into Izotakeshi's power more than it already has."

"But they just went 'poof' into the night!" Mantis reasoned.

"We don't know a thing about where there are, Master," Viper put in.

Shifu stood before the painting of a certain green-robed red panda on the wall. "…I do," he announced, before turning promptly to his students. "Everyone get what sleep you can, we meet directly in the kitchen at the sound of the morning gong. _No running late_." He made a particular glance at Po at that last part. "Am I clear?"

"Master," his students promptly saluted him and bowed their heads before returning to their rooms.

Shifu again peered up at the painting. _I'll get it back… You have my word._

_**TBC…**_


	4. Fool's Journey

Very short chapter, you may note....... But still important! Things will pick up in the next chapter, which - I will warn you - will have a cliffhanger.

All characters belong to Dreamworks Animation.

_Chapter 4: Fool's Journey_

Po peeked his head into the room, carefully and somewhat sheepishly. He gave a relieved sigh like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders when only the eyes of her fellow students fell upon him – when he had expected the glare of a certain red panda. "Phew… I thought he'd be the first one in here."

"He was running like a madman for the scroll room the moment we got back," Crane put in. "I'm not really sure if he got any sleep himself."

Po sat down and drummed his fingers on the table. "…Should we be worried about him…? He seems really high-strung about the Sword of Heroes, but why…? He didn't freak out nearly this much that one time bandits tried to steal the Iron Fist of Justice…"

He looked up to see the Five merely sitting in complete silence – Tigress giving him a critical stare as she usually did while the others bit their lips and scrutinized the imperfections in the tabletop.

"…Storytime?" the panda guessed.

"I'm not so sure …" Monkey hesitated. "Master Shifu probably wouldn't approve of us telling you."

"Since when had that stopped you?"

"…Touché."

Viper sighed. "All right… When Master Shifu was a ch—"

The serpentine warrior was suddenly interrupted by a heavy wooden creak, and the six young animals looked over to see the door swing open. Their master stood on the threshold, holding at least three scrolls of rice paper in his arm. His mouth was set in the stern, unflinching frown he'd often paraded about in his "post Tai Lung" years. He took a gander across the table to make sure each of his students was there before walking forward and plopping the scrolls on the table.

"No preliminaries," the master announced. "I'm going to get straight to the point here. We've got a long journey ahead of us." He promptly unrolled the first scroll – a map of the surrounding provinces. "Now this map shows displays five miles per inch, so where we have to go is—"

"Excuse me…?" Po interrupted sheepishly. The panda had to get this question off of his brain… Perhaps there was the chance his master would answer it himself? "Master…?" the Dragon Warrior raised his paw a little.

Sigh. "…Yes, Po?"

"M-Master, I've read all about the sword… When it's used as a weapon of war, it scalds any evil-at-heart that wields it."

Tigress rolled her eyes with a smirk. "That's our Po…"

Shifu eyed the panda. "Your point?" he inquired, to which Mantis and Monkey snickered at the pun.

"I mean, only the pure of heart can wield it, right?" the Dragon Warrior pointed out. "So we're set! I mean, I know the sword's important, but do we really have to scramble after it?"

"Correction," Shifu interrupted. "Only the pure of heart can wield it _after_ it's drawn blood… That's easily a moment too late…"

Po frowned. That was the voice of experience if ever he'd heard one. _Well, that's stupid! Who made up those rules?_

"I will not condemn the sword to taking anymore innocent lives," the old master announced before drawing their attention back to the maps. He proceeded to point at another symbol on the map. "This is the village of Kodãri. Somewhere between it and the Surt Kosi River is where we have evidence to believe is the location of a frequent camp site for Ju-long."

"Whoa, whoa, wait, the _camp_?" Po looked wary. "You want us to go to the _base_ of the guys that want to kill us?"

"You know as well as I do that the best way to destroy the foundation of an edifice is its very core and anchor. If worse comes to worse, the Jade Palace has allies in the west that will come to our aid. Now," he put his finger to the little painted dot on the map that represented the Valley and traced his finger along their path, "our quickest route to the Surt Kosi is through the Dàzhong Mountains."

"Whoa, WHOA!!" Po called a time-out.

Shifu growled, his ears flicking back. "_What_, Po?! We haven't got all day here!!"

Dàzhong? _The_ Dàzhong? The meanest stretch of ice and snow in ages past and the history of the—"

"_YES_, that Dàzhong!!" Shifu tersely continued on. "We could be gone as long two or three weeks depending on weather conditions, so we have to be prepared for _anything_."

Before any of them had a chance to protest, Shifu turned back to his students and began giving the orders.

"Po, you're in charge of our cooking supplies; Crane, camping supplies. We'll need to dress as warmly as possible. Blizzards and ice storms are a common occurrence along Dàzhong. We leave in one hour." Then, with an exchange of bows, master and students parted ways. Po was left behind in a stupor, his mouth hanging open almost as wide as his eyes.

"…B-Blizzards…?" he repeated in all but a squeak.

Moments later, Shifu stood once more before the painting of the green-robed red panda, gazing up at the poised warrior it depicted.

_I won't let them forget…As I have breath in my lungs, the Sword of Heroes will return to the Jade Palace. I promise…_ The master gazed right into the warrior's piercing, forthright blue eyes. _I promise, Father…it will not be forgotten what you sacrificed for this palace…_


	5. The Tree Line

Hang onto your hats, kiddies. :D You may not like me at the end of this chapter.

Banjirou, Taplo, Lin Lin, Izotakeshi, Hei Long, Chang, Kasem, Fei (c) of me!!

All other characters belong to Dreamworks Animation.

_Chapter 5: The Tree Line_

Shifu had sent Po to his father's noodle shop with a small satchel of yuan to pick up some extra food. "Don't be ridiculous," the goose shook his head when offered the payment. "Call it a family favor."

Knowing firsthand that it was darn near impossible to sway his dad's mind, Po rolled his eyes and tied the satchel back to the silver belt of his new burgundy red shorts.

"Nearly six hundred miles…" Ping recalled what his son had just told him about the journey ahead. "Six hundred miles across Dàzhong, no less…"

"I know it's crazy, Dad, but I can't go against my master here, and the Sword of Heroes could take down a whole village if we don't get it back as soon as we can…"

"But at this time of year, son… The cold's just setting in, the ice will be so thin and there are so many more snowstorms and avalanches up in those mountains these days… Are you sure you've packed enough warm clothes?"

Po had to smile at the fact that his dad was generally worrying the same way he did when he was bundling up a certain panda cub eager to run outside and play in the first snow of the season. "I think you're worrying about this a little more than you need to be," he smiled a little in an attempt to encourage his father. "The majority of us have fur _and_ we all have these really nice wool coats given to us after we staved off panther bandits from overtaking the Shue Mao Sheep Clan, remember? We're pretty well equipped, Dad… Tigress has her claws, Crane has his wings, Mantis has his thingies, and I've got my totally awesome pandanacity," he smirked. "We'll be fine, I promise."

"Po, please…" The aging goose took a worried hold of his son's arm. "You don't know who this Izotakeshi is—"

"I do, Dad, I know…" Po interrupted. "…M-Master Shifu told me everything." He noticed how his dad paused at this. "My father's name was Chang, my uncle's name was Kasem, and my mother's name was Fei," he recited. "Chang and Kasem were Shifu's students and Izotakeshi was the one that killed my parents…"

Ping nodded with a sigh. "…I don't like to keep things from you, son, it just—"

"I-I understand why you did…" _No I don't… _"It was…unexpected more than anything… I-I just have so many more questions about all this…"

"Like what?" The old goose had a compassionate smile on his face when Po looked up again. Now that the truth was out, he was more than willing to quench his son's nagging thirst for the specifics.

One corner of the panda's mouth crept up a little at the offer, though it was unsure. Did he _really_ want to know exactly the bloodshed and string of events that led his tiny panda cub self to a noodle chef's fathering arms?

_Yes? Boy, you're a glutton for punishment…_

Po opened his mouth to speak…then was interrupted by the buzzer in his mind when he noted that the sun was climbing farther over the horizon. "Gah, I-I can't…" He shook his head, disappointed. "If I don't get back within the next few minutes, Shifu's going to make me walk the whole _trip_ with a bowl of rice on my head… W-We can talk when we get back…"

Ping hated to see so much disappointment on his son's face as what he saw right then. The poor boy deserved to know what he wanted to about the family he couldn't remember… Heck, he was hardly a boy anymore – all the more reason that he shouldn't be left in the dark. The goose knew just how treacherous the mountains could be with the cold setting in… And if worse came to worse and Po didn't make it back to hear what he longed to hear… There was _that_ thing that Ping had stowed away under an old floorboard for years…

"Po…I-I've saved you and your friends some kumquats in the back… I know how you love your sweets." He smiled a little.

Po's response was a mildly amused – yet still disappointed – smile, and he put down his bag long enough to go and retrieve the said treats. Ping took this opportunity to hurry to his room, managing to come back before Po could suspect anything. Then, as his son headed out, the goose discreetly slipped a rolled-up parchment of paper into the pocket of the panda's bag next to the kumquats.

Shifu had his students take a back road through the bamboo forest – away from the bustle of the village – to reach the outskirts of town where they'd start their journey across the Thread of Hope. No one had seen or even been aware of Ju-long's presence the past night, and Shifu was dead-set on keeping it that way. There was no point in alarming anybody, especially to the fact that they were about to traverse an entire mountain range.

Ping met them at the outskirts of the surrounding rice paddies – which ran out into foggy marshes the farther they got from the safety of the tree line. Shifu was a little surprised that Benjirou, Taplo, and Lin Lin had come to see them off as well.

The old master looked up at the distant and glorious jade edifice sitting high on the mountains above them, the safe haven he'd called home since his unexpected arrival at six years old. And since he'd been named _sigung_, he'd hardly stepped foot out of the palace, and never out of the Valley. How could he know if he was doing the right thing or not in leaving his home, his people?

"Don't worry, my friend," Benjirou smiled and laid a brotherly paw on Shifu's shoulder. "We won't let things fall apart without you around to blame for it, you have my word." He grinned.

"You're too kind," Shifu smirked.

Lin Lin shook her head endearingly. "Just come back alive," she pleaded, only half-jokingly. Her old friend nodded and smiled, tempted to demand she stopped acting so formal for just a moment.

After departing words and exchanged salutes with his old friends, Shifu turned and led his students off. With a big bear hug between him and his dad, Po smiled encouragingly at the goose and followed after his fellow travelers. Lin Lin frowned as she stared after them, grasping her fists worriedly.

Taplo put a gentle hoof on her shoulder. "Don't worry, my _mei_," he smiled. "Shifu will see to it they make it home safely."

The elderly raccoon sighed and nodded her head. _Hope he has enough sense to take care of himself…_

Po brought up the rear as the group of warriors approached the Valley borders, marked by heavy underbrush. He stopped just short of the fateful line.

He – like any other youngsters in the village – had been raised on the stern rule to _never_ wander beyond the Valley border. All his life, the panda had adhered to that rule and had never seen anything of the land outside the Valley. Now, if he took one more step, it would be the farthest from his home that he had ever been. He'd always been a fairly well behaved cub growing up, and here he was about to break that most solemn law of his youth. Not only was it beyond the safety of the Valley, but it was also a renowned place for crocodile thieves to hang out in the surrounding marshes and gladly chomp on any stray, rebellious wanderers.

_OK, Po, get over yourself… You're practically a man as it is and you're the Dragon Warrior for cryin' out loud! Man up!_

Taking a breath and not belaboring the moment, the panda wiggled his way through the border and hurried to catch up with the others.

It was about noon by the time they reached the Thread of Hope...and Po was already hungry. For Shifu to allow them a break before mounting the rickety bridge was out of the question, he knew…and the blinding chasm below made the young panda inclined to keep off any extra weight for the time being.

This time, though, it was Shifu who hesitated, staring across the strands of bridges that ever faded off into the horizon or the mist – whichever came first. He seemed silent, even solemn for a moment.

"…You all should know," he spoke up, "that once we step foot on these bridges, we will no longer be in the protection of the dale… There are forces out there much worse than we have faced thus far." He turned towards his students. "So I need you all to promise that you trust me – and each other – with your lives."

"Yes, Master…" all six of his students saluted and bowed their heads in unison. Shifu, however, turned his glance towards a particular tiger and panda.

"Tigress?"

The feline warrior read the intonation of his voice. She knew why he doubted her… She knew Po was a good-hearted guy and it wasn't that she didn't find him trustworthy… Still…she had her reasons she wasn't quite warming up to him. But for the sake of her master and for the Jade Palace, she had to.

"…Yes, Master," she vowed.

"Po?"

The Dragon Warrior glanced over at the striped female. She didn't trust him, he could tell… She flat _hated_ him, last he checked. How could he trust she'd preserve his life if that were what it came to?

"…Y-Yeah, Master…" he forced out.

Shifu didn't look for a second like he believed either of them, but there was no time for berating. "Very well," he frowned at them and turned back towards the rope bridge, stepping out. "Let us go."

Po was shocked with the way his master and fellow students walked forward onto the planks so calmly…as if they had no idea or didn't care that they were above a screaming abyss. _I picked a heckuva day to gorge on the comfort food,_ he ruminated as he hesitantly stepped onto the bridge. The first bridge wasn't nearly as scary – sturdy repairs had been made to it almost directly after Tai Lung and the Five had obliterated it a year ago. However, the increased wind and weathering on the other bridges seemed to be taking its toll.

By the time they'd gotten to the fifth or sixth bridge – Po had lost count, it could've been the fourteenth…or the thirty-seventh – the intimidation of the hazardous structures wasn't as deafening and the panda had gained quite a bit of confidence. Shifu looked forward and gave a sigh of relief. The great stone archway, the gateway to the Northern territories was waiting for them at the end of this one.

All of the sudden, the seven warriors heard a deafening _swish_ sound behind them. Before they even knew what had hit them, the bridge gave an abrupt jerk and the left side fell into a slump. Po yelped and grabbed onto the ropes to keep from slipping. Catching his breath, he snapped his head over to see that his fellow warriors had done the same. "What the hey??" he gasped.

Shifu glanced back behind to where to the two rope-holding spires were. The rope on the bottom-left of the four supports had been sliced from its foundation by a distinctive wide-bladed arrow that had more of the head of an ax. The fletching of the arrow was made of long, black eagle feathers laced with bright red. Shifu knew right away what it meant. Almost instantly, a second arrow of the same kind came and sliced the bottom right support of the bridge.

"AAH!!" Po gave a shout when the wooden planks below their feet suddenly dropped out from under them. Everyone else followed suit, now dangling from what remained of the top supports. Everyone who had the reflexes to, that is.

Crane beat his wings furiously as he tried to hold Po up by the back of his new shorts. "Ow, ow, _oww_!!" the young Dragon Warrior fussed, hugging the rope as his life depended on it.

Two more arrows flew in, slicing the same two supports on the other end of the bridge. Shifu quickly pulled himself up to balance on the rope before a flash of color made him look off towards a distant spire.

Hei Long had already drawn his third arrow and was aiming for another support, set to send them plummeting into the mist.

"Go!" The red panda master shouted to his students. **"Go, **_**go**_**, **_**GO!!**_**"**

**_TBC..._**


	6. No Passage

Sorry for the wait, everyone… Action is hard to write and my great-grandmother's been from hospital to assisted living and back again.

Enjoy!!

Izotakeshi, Hei Long, & Ju-long (c) of me!!

All other characters belong to Dreamworks Animation.

_Chapter 6: No Passage_

Instincts kicking in at the heat of the moment, Shifu urged his students ahead, making sure every one of them was racing to the archway ahead of him and keeping a sharp eye on his enemies as he followed behind. Within moments, all of his students were safe on the other side except for two.

Crane had been fighting and struggling to pull the panicky Dragon Warrior to solid ground, yet Po was clinging like a bur to the rope and was clearly afraid of being accidentally dropped. Being held up by the back of his shorts was sturdy anchoring, _how_?

"Po!!" Crane grunted, beating his wings furiously. "Let go!!"

"I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die!!" Po whimpered, his eyes jammed shut and his arms still latched around what remained of the bridge.

Tigress growled. "For cryin' out loud, you big baby, let _go!!_"

Crane suddenly gave a jerk, almost dropping the panda. Po yelped and, in turn, lost his grip on the wooden planks. The ugly result was realized too late, and the whiplash motion sent a rolling wave down the bridge.

Shifu was caught completely off-guard, as he had been keeping a weather eye on his enemies when the rolling bridge careened straight into him and slammed him back. It was only by his kung fu reflexes that he managed to grab onto the rope and save himself from the chasm below. He swung himself back up and looked around.

The route to his students was cut off, as that end of the bridge had been obliterated entirely. All other options exhausted, the Grandmaster sprinted on all fours across the dropping rope back towards the spire where Ju-long was waiting. Gathering his grit, he threw himself from the weakening foothold and kung-fu leapt for the rock foundation. Upon impact, he gave a cry of effort and dug his grip into the rock as hard as he could. By now, the entire bridge had been cut from its foundations and had disappeared below him.

Catching his breath, he looked up. Ju-long gorillas were scowling at him from atop the spire. Over his shoulder, Hei Long was aiming another arrow straight for him.

"Hurry!" Viper cried as Crane fought to get Po over to them. "We have to help him!!"

Shifu gritted his teeth, both fighting to keep a hold on the smooth rock face and to think up with haste of how to cheat death. If only he had a foothold…

It hit him like lightning. Growling, he looked over his shoulder to fiercely lock eyes with Hei. His challenge was met, and the red panda master became instantly aware of the arrow flitting at him. At the very last second – when the arrowhead was so close he could feel the flint barely graze across his fur – he pushed his feet against the stone and leapt away, grabbing onto the arrow for steadying just as it anchored into the rock face. Then, with the momentum of his leap, he gripped both paws on the arrow and twisted around, swinging himself in a full circle and flinging himself up into the air, landing the leap with an iron foot to a gorilla's face.

The Grandmaster then proceeded to leap from ape to ape like a furry pinball in the machine that was the crowded spire. He dodged swords and stomped on noses, plowing through the horde one-by-one until he hit the ground a victor.

Spinning around, Shifu saw an entirely new horde of Ju-long brutes barreling right at him. Dropping into stance, he snarled and lit into the crowd.

"Grab the ledge, Po!!" Crane frantically snapped.

"Kinda hard to do that with you're dealin' me a _kung fu wedgie here!!"_

More and more enemies descended on Shifu, no matter how many he defeated. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a black and white form directing the traffic. He shouldn't have been surprised Izo was trying to kill him… But if that roguish brute so much as touched a hair on his students…

The Grandmaster abruptly gave a jerk to catch his balance, only now just realizing that as he had been fighting, he had slowly been backed onto the edge of the spire. Had he fallen back, it would've been into that screaming white chasm below.

Looking to from the abyss to his students to the mob that had cornered him, he gave a snarl. He held his head high, stood with his heels together, lifted his arms in stance…

And promptly back-flipped off of the spire. He flipped with such strength that one could've sworn that a gust of wind had whisked him away at least 30 feet from the ledge before he had disappeared into the shrouded emptiness.

Izo gawked, scrambling forward like the rest of his men to stare down into the chasm. Was the old man senile??

With his robe, ears, tail, and every bit of his fur whipping furiously in the icy air rushing past him, Shifu kept his eyes closed and his arms straight out to the sides.

Then he heard it.

_Fwoosh_.

The battle atop the bridge had frozen stiff as everyone gawked into the white canyon, waiting to see what trick the Grandmaster had up his sleeve. Crane then came shooting up from the shrouds of cloud like a bleached arrow with Shifu riding atop his back.

Izo snarled as he watched the two warriors hurry back to their awaiting party. He snapped his head back towards his troops, throwing a paw forward. "Fire!! _Now_!!" he barked. His five archers, including Hei, raised their bows to aim at Crane and Shifu and fired simultaneously.

Shifu ducked his head and Crane flew instantly into a spate of barrel rolls, narrowly missing or deflecting each of the oncoming projectiles and striving to protect his master from them as well.

"_Eagles!_" Shifu heard Izo's barking orders again even before the arrows had stopped. The airborne master and student looked back when they noticed three Golden Eagles dive from the cliffs and dart right at them.

"Hang…on…tight!!" Crane called back before spreading his wings and catching a draft of wind, putting on a burst of speed to reach the safety of the cliff. Shifu heard an animalistic cry and ducked his head just in the nick of time, feeling one of the eagles snag the back of his robe only long enough to tear it. Crane rapidly responded by jerking around and planting a foot in the bird's throat.

Back on the far cliff stood Hei Long, who quickly saw his opportunity. A growl rolled in his feline throat as he reached back into his quiver and seized an arrow between his fingers, positioning it perfectly in the cradle of his bowstring. He closed one eye and carefully aimed until his target was as precise as he could get it, then pulled back the hemp and let the arrow fly. Crane gave a sudden squawk as the flint arrowhead grazed straight across the bend of his right wing, cutting it. Po and the others all gave horrified gasps when they saw a few feathers fly from the impact. Shifu nearly lost his grip on the bird as he tried to maintain his height, flapping his one good wing for all it was worth.

"Head for the others, Crane!" Shifu encouraged his feathered student. Crane instantly turned and struggled for the cliff side where Po, Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, and Viper stood. He kept flapping as hard as he could towards the safety of the cliff, but was losing his altitude much too fast to reach it.

Po and the others quickly saw that their opportunities of rescuing their master and fellow warrior were diminishing fast, and Tigress was the one to jump into action. "Po!!" she shouted, "grab on!!"

Po quickly grabbed her paw and it didn't take long for the others to figure out what she was doing. Viper, Monkey, and Mantis rapidly made a chain with them and Viper lashed out for Crane and Shifu, whipping her tail out for her master to grab. Shifu leapt quickly atop Crane's neck and lashed his paw out for her tail…

But was interrupted by a desensitizing impact to his head that nearly made him black out.

He and Crane had both hit a jutting rock coming from the cliff side, Viper gasped and rapidly whipped her tail out to grab whatever she could, and only managed to wrap her tail around Crane's foot. Shifu quickly clutched onto Crane's beak before he fell out of its reach, completing the chain. No one had any time to catch their breath, however, as gravity had its own dirty tricks. The weight of all seven animals combined sent the unfortunate ones at the bottom swinging back towards the cliff face.

Shifu smacked into the rock face so hard that he might've lost his grip on Crane if Mantis hadn't reached the end of the chain to grab his paw. It took the red panda master a moment to get his breath back.

The seven animals now dangled off the cliff in a single ladder. Po was holding onto Tigress's arm, Tigress was holding onto Monkey's foot, Monkey had Viper's forebody wrapped around his arm, Viper had her tail wrapped around Crane's leg, and Mantis was clinging to Crane's beak with one of his forelegs and holding onto Shifu's paw with the other. Shaking off the physical shock of colliding into the cliff side, Shifu dangled above the white emptiness of the canyon and looked up at his students.

"Shoot him!!" Izo yelled, and all bows pointed for Shifu. Upon seeing the arrows coming again, the old red panda sprung into action.

"Crane!" he shouted, and Crane quickly reached his neck down to give his master the hold he needed. Grabbing onto the curve of the bird's neck, Shifu spun himself in a fast circle and kicked his feet out, skillfully deflecting the arrows away. "Po! "Pull! Mantis, go help him!" he shouted up, sparing a paw to knock away a higher-aimed arrow.

The bug scrambled up the manmade chain as Po gritted his teeth and dug his heels into the sparse patches of snow that had collected along the edge. The problem was, however, that the beginning of winter brought about very wet and slippery snow, terrible for anchoring one's foot.

Hei Long growled when he saw the young panda losing his grip. "Shoot the panda!!"

"Don't shoot the panda!!" Po yelled back. Hei didn't wait for his commander's orders and fired at Po, who narrowly evaded death with a shocked yelp and almost lost his grip on the rest of his friends.

It was then that Izo stormed up to his tigard archer, enraged. "You impulsive _idiot_!!" he roared and grabbed Hei by the throat, lifting him off the ground. "Get out of line again and I'll throw ya down the canyon myself!! It's only by a stroke of luck that I haven't killed you _yet_!" He snarled and hurled the feline back onto the ground. "Now order a retreat, you worthless _rat._"

Hei watched his superior leave, giving a low growl behind his back.

Both Mantis and Po held onto the chain of animals below them, trying all that they were worth not to slip in the snow.

Mantis looked up at the spires. "Hey!" he grunted as he held on tight. "They're gone!"

"What?" Po looked up.

Monkey suddenly flicked his golden tail upwards, sending Shifu somersaulting through the air. The young Dragon Warrior gave a surprised yelp when his master landed straight on his head. Climbing down and planting his feet in the ground, Shifu helped his two students hold on and one-by-one, they each climbed to the safety of solid ground. An extra effort was required to hoist Crane up without injuring his wing, and they all had to stop and catch their breath for just a moment.

"Are…you all right, Master?" Tigress panted.

"I'm fine," Shifu reassured, staggering to his feet to inspect Crane's wing. Po stared, stunned. Not even a few miles from home and already they had had a brush with death and one of them granted a purple heart. He was about to learn how this one encounter had only scratched the surface of the worst to come.

Viper, meanwhile, had gotten out the first aid supplies, and Shifu was cleaning and bandaging up the bend of Crane's wing where it had been grazed by Hei's arrow. The bird couldn't help but jerk his wing slightly as the red panda tightened the bandage.

"Well done, Crane…" Shifu congratulated, smiling at his student, grateful for his efforts in combat. The Grandmaster tended to do this more often lately – since the defeat of Tai Lung, he actually made an endeavor to praise his students and let them know he was proud.

"Thank you, Master…" Crane lowered his head, and – when given the permissive signal to do so – lifted his head and shakily rose to his feet. Casting one more look around for any enemies, Shifu then led his students on into the mountains.

The first few miles they traveled, the new snows were still in sparse patches and the surrounding foliage was mostly still green and lush. The farther along the path and the higher up the trail they got, however, the mountains began to get caps of snow that spread wider and thicker with the altitude. And as the caps spread, the temperature dropped.

"Guh…" Po shivered and called up towards the front of the line. "Hey, can we break out the wool coats here?"

"_Shhh!!_" Shifu snapped. "Panda, you're going to get us killed!"

"…What'd I do?" he squeaked.

"The Dàzhong Mountains are _incredibly_ dangerous," Shifu reminded.

"You've never heard of the time-old warning, I assume?" Monkey put in.

"The who-old what?" Po twiddled his fingers.

"Oh, yeah…" Mantis smirked. "The Elders have always warned… If one's too loud while traveling Dàzhong, he wakes…_it_ up."

"It?"

"The White Dragon of Dàzhong…" Shifu informed, staring forward.

The panda's eyes widened. "…Dra…? You mean there is such a thing?"

Holding a hook over the lower half of his face like a cape, Mantis only laughed darkly in reply. Shifu smirked and rolled his eyes. _Kids…_

_**TBC…**_


	7. On Thin Ice

I beg of ya'll now…don't kill me when you finish this chapter… Just keep in mind I don't write tragedy…

BTW, thank you all SOOOOOO much with all the reviews I got with my last chapter! (hugs you all) It was so awesome to see all that feedback!

All characters in the chapter belong to Dreamworks Animation.

_Chapter 7: On Thin Ice_

By the end of the day, Shifu had ordered camp to be made near a pond. They all bedded down on the grass…but were in for a surprise the next morning.

"Nnnn…" Po stirred, feeling something on his nose. Something…cold. He slowly opened his eyes and – much to his surprise – there was a total wall of white in front of his face. "AAHH!! I'm snowblind!!" he screamed as he bounced up to his feet. He was met by an all-too-familiar collection of stares from his already arisen traveling companions. He paused to look around. Apparently, it had snowed overnight… The sleeping bags were dusted with the thin, white powder from where they had been shaken. And it was COLD!

"Po," Viper spoke up sweetly, "I'm hungry."

"_We're_ hungry," Mantis pouted, a signal to Po that he best get his rear in gear.

Breakfast was prepared, and – as usual – Po had obliterated his meal for before anyone else. And still being the avid fanboy of such legends as the Dàzhong Mountain Range, he took this rare opportunity to explore the nooks and crannies himself. There were several little caverns and gaps that just begged to be explored were it not so dangerous to do so. The panda pulled himself over the nearby hill and gawked a little at what he saw.

The pond they had bedded beside had frozen over during the night and a vast sheet of ice coated the water from end to end. "Hey, guys, look at this!!" he called over his shoulder and proceeded to slide down the hill out towards the frozen pond. He'd gone ice-skating every winter of his life on the Zongxian River back home, and had almost been afraid that he'd miss it this year.

With a childlike mischief across his face, the young Dragon Warrior carefully stepped out onto the ice, one foot at a time. As always, he had a bout of waving his arms and biting his tongue before he could find his solid footing. That endeavor was a bit easier this time, however. Confidence was half of what kept you sturdy on the ice, he recalled, the other was the ability to balance well. _Hey, all that practice on Jade Tortoise was useful for something!_

Tentatively licking his lips, Po pushed himself off across the ice, quickly getting back into the rhythm of the sport.

It wasn't long before Shifu and his students heard euphoric yelping and hollering over the hill, and peeked over to observe their comrade. Po was laughing like a cub at the local festival, slipping and sliding with no dignity whatsoever. "C'mon, you gotta try this!!" he called over to his master and fellow students.

"Ignorance truly is bliss…" Shifu muttered, an amused smile creeping its way to his lips.

"Lookit!" Po laughed, running and skidding across the pond like a Slip N' Slide.

Just as he turned to go back to camp, Shifu's ear pricked forward at the one sound he'd hoped he would never hear.

_Crrrrriiiick_…

The red panda master spun around to look out on the ice. Speaking of ignorance… That ice hadn't been freezing for more than a few hours!

"Po!!" He let out a sudden yell, causing the giant panda to stop in his tracks. "…_Don't_…_move_."

"Wha…?" Po gave his master a funny look, before he also heard the sound and looked down. Upon seeing the ice cracking towards him like a jagged snake, he gave a gasp and frantically stepped back.

"Panda, I said don't move!!" he heard his master bark. Although terrified out of his wits, Po obeyed and stiffened his arms and legs, holding completely still.

"M-Master Shifu…?"

"_Don't_ panic," Shifu ordered, watching the ice like a hawk.

"What d-do I do??"

"I said don't panic! Just step _very_ slowly this way…"

"…O-Okay…" Po gave a gulp and cautiously tried to step forward. That half of required confidence, however, had been destroyed in seconds flat, and the poor panda almost stumbled back on the already weakening surface. He gave a startled yelp, barely catching his footing.

"Freeze!!" Shifu urged, heart jumping to his throat.

Po stood stiff on the spot, trying not to hyperventilate from his panic. Shifu read this expression all too easily and clenched his fists. Crane couldn't fly over and get him off with a busted wing, and Mantis's feet were much too small to have a holding on the ice…

"E-Everyone stay here," he ordered. "I will find a path for him."

The Five rallied behind their master as he cautiously stepped out onto the ice. He edged across the delicate surface, tapping various areas carefully with his foot or tail every once in a while to test its strength and making mental notes as to the safest path across. Once he finally did reach the panicky panda, he still didn't take his eyes off the ice below them.

"All right, Po…" he panted, trying to harness his own panic. "Now very slowly…get down on your hands and knees."

Po obeyed, his ears fixed in a terrified droop. Back on the ice, the Five stared anxiously at the two pandas now facing each other in crawling positions.

Shifu looked his youngest student straight in the eye, making sure he had the Dragon Warrior's attention. "Now, as long as you stay like this…it displaces your bodyweight evenly and you have less of a chance of the ice breaking from under you. Now…just do as I do and _don't panic_."

Po nodded breathlessly, as if he were afraid that the sound of his voice would seal their fate. Employing every trick on kung fu stealth he had learned over the year to carefully crawl across the ice, he followed his master's path as closely as he could.

There was a loud CRACK and Po suddenly felt the sensation of biting cold on his foot from where he'd broken through a weak spot in the ice. He lurched forward with a startled yelp, realizing too late that he had knocked his master forward and quickly doubled back onto the frozen surface. Before he could even squeak out an apology, the two warriors caught motion out of the corner of their eyes and saw the crack in the ice shooting out from Po's body and webbing out across the ice at a frightening pace. Shifu shot his head up and, before they knew it, they were sitting on a spider web of gaps across the pond.

"Oh, man…" Po paled. "M-Master??"

"Don't panic, Panda, I'm thinking!" The Grandmaster kept back-to-back with his student, looking around frantically for the miracle they desperately needed. The ice had cracked just so that he and Po were stuck atop a near perfectly round frozen disc.

Po's limbs were stiff and he nervously bit his lip. Perhaps if he was really careful… Really, _really_ careful… Displace your weight, Shifu said. Shakily and cautiously, Po tried to slowly inch his way across the ice. The sounds beneath him sounded FAR too much like the ones he cringed at sneaking through the dormitory hall. Just as long as this didn't turn out in the same way…

"ACK!!" the panda gave a yelp as his paw went clean through the ice and he stumbled, making the surface drop right out from under him. It was only by lightning-fast reflexes that Shifu managed to seize his student by the scruff and hoist him back up onto the ice floe – which instantly weighed down that side of the disc like a seesaw.

Po was being slammed and jerked around so suddenly that he could hardly tell what was going on. Now he was waist-high in freezing water and Shifu was suddenly leapfrogging over his head. Then he was being yanked up onto the floe again by his belt.

"Are you _trying_ to get us killed??" Shifu snapped, pulling him up so the floe was even.

"It's COLD!!" Po yelped, instantly reduced to wobbling and waving his arms to keep balanced as the floe bobbed and tilted. Even Shifu had to do the same, his feet slipping every time he tried to get a brace on the ice.

"Balance, Po, come to the center!!"

"I-I can't!!"

"Panda!!" he yelled. "You let that bowl fall and you'll have a week of laundry duty!!"

As if some invisible string then pulled him up, Po instantly drew his head straight up and balanced himself, pretending for all he was worth that he was balancing the dish of rice on his head. The Grandmaster was now sitting on his haunches, ears back, eyes wide, chest heaving. "Wh-What do I do now??" Po panicked.

Shifu thought on that - what _was _Po supposed to do now? They couldn't stay there forever… Should they brave the ice web and risk the numbing, freezing water?

"Master, I c-can't feel my legs…" Po squeaked.

_Speaking of numbing…_

"I'm thinking, Po, just hold on, please DON'T move it!!"

The Dragon Warrior whimpered. The cold air had long since been biting at his wet fur on his legs to the point they were beginning to really hurt. He'd always been taught that, if he ever were to fall through ice and come in contact with frigid waters, the key was to _keep moving_ to keep the blood pumping. But if he were to move his legs now, the floe they were on could all to easily dump them off and trap them under the ice.

_Be calm, be gentle, he's trying, _Shifu had to remind himself as he desperately watched Po. The panda gritted his teeth, the numbing pain felt like someone had taken a knife to his legs.

_Hold on, Po, please hold on!! _The old master rooted on in his mind, looking around desperately for the safest path back to shore.

"AUGH!!" Po gave a pained snarl as he finally lost his footing, landing on his tail and making the floe tilt almost vertically. Shifu tried to again pull the panda up but – try as he might – he didn't have any kind of footing against the slippery ice and slammed straight into his student.

"_UFF—_!! PO!!"

The balancing hold master and student had on the ice had been completely destroyed in two seconds. And, before the Furious Five could do anything, the ice floe had flipped entirely and their beloved master and Dragon Warrior were trapped in the frigid waters below.

_**TBC…**_


	8. An Unbeatable Foe

Well, I wanted to finish this chapter before I started classes...but oh-well. I hope and pray this doesn't read as rushed as it felt. Finished it in time to go celebrate my mom's birthday today.

Izotakeshi belongs to me!

All other characters in this chapter belong to Dreamworks Animation

_Chapter 8: An Unbeatable Foe_

Tigress was the first to brave the fragile surface, darting across the ice to aid her master and fellow student. Her feet nearly slid out from under her as she tried to pry her claws under the floe to hoist it up. "Help me!!" she snarled over to the others.

But though the young warriors fought and struggled, the floe wouldn't budge an inch, as if it had frozen straight back into place. Tigress's next desperate act was to drop and plant her ear against the ice, listening closely for struggling sounds in the water. "Got 'em!" she confirmed to her fellow warriors and stood in stance above the ice. Unleashing a roar, she clenched her fist and careened it into the frozen.

"_Augh!!_" she snarled again and yanked her sore paw back, ears flattening at the throbbing sensation in her knuckles. The ice looked a lot thinner than it was, and her fist – even with all the feral strength she could once never control behind it – had only left a few small cracks on the frozen surface.

"Where _are_ they??" Viper panicked, looking around through the ice.

"Here!" Monkey frantically called over. "I found them!"

They rushed over to the simian, immediately spotting the red panda under the ice. "Master!" Viper yelped. "Can you see us??"

It was like looking through fogged glass – all they could make out of Shifu was the outline of his head and his paw against the ice. A faint trace of black and white below him implied that Po was there as well. They could hardly make it out as Shifu began to motion feverishly towards the center of the pond. The Five quickly observed that that particular area had more cracks and breaks in the surface, and they quickly remembered that, of course! – The pond had frozen from the shoreline in, so the ice in the center was the thinnest!

The warriors dashed desperately for the median, knowing every second that passed was one more that Po and Shifu were forced to hold their breaths.

"Wait, wait!" Crane called above the clamor. "All at once this time! One! Two!"

Then, with the force deserving of the word "furious", the five simultaneously thrust their fists – and fangs, in Viper's case – forcefully into the ice, punching a hole straight through. Tigress kept her arm submerged, reaching in so far her shoulder touched the icy surface. Her paw swung through the water desperately, searching for another to grab it.

The silence was deafening, the wait unbearable. Then, within ten seconds, Tigress abruptly felt the grip of a bristly, bony paw around her fingers. The feline warrior gave a startled yet relieved sound, already pulling them towards the surface as fast as she could. Shifu practically exploded above the surface with a deep gasp, Dragon Warrior in tow. Po couldn't move faster in clamoring out of the fishing hole and onto semi-solid ground.

Wasting no time, the Five hoisted them up out of the water and rushed them back towards the shore, narrowly avoiding another break-in of ice. Wet clothes were removed and blankets, coats, anything available were used to bundle the two pandas up. They then quickly found shelter off the wet snow and under a ridge of rock, where there was drier stone to sit on. By the time they had gotten a fire started, it was snowing quietly and the rushing adrenaline had seized.

Master and student were hunched over under their blankets, both wordlessly staring at the dancing flames slowly swallowing the kindling into embers. Viper hovered over a cooking kettle and was going back and forth out of the small camp until she came forth with the fruits of her labor – two steaming hot cups of tea.

"Drink," she urged, handing a cup each to the soaked pandas.

Po looked at the little brew of brownish liquid. "What is it?"

"Pine needle tea. It doesn't taste very good, but it keeps the heart going."

_How bad could it be?_ Po nonchalantly pulled his blanket further over his shoulders and took a sip…and his face instantly distorted in disgust. "_Peh_!!"

"Told you it didn't taste good…" Viper sang. "Finish it if you want to feel your legs again."

Po did as he was told, cringing at every sip of the nasty liquid. He cast a glance over at Shifu, who drank his share quietly with obviously the same dislike. He couldn't tell if his master was mad at him or just thinking hard… He seemed strangely placid sitting and sipping his tea…almost like it was an art. The experience had obvious left its mark on him… Even Po knew how close to drowning they could've come.

But, it didn't sway Shifu so easily. The moment everyone had dried off and warmed up, Shifu put them into pairs for sparring. He would not have his students lose valuable training time. "Besides," he reminded them. "It will keep the blood going."

At the point that he paired Po and Tigress for a fight, he had them practice the routine from the festival – or at least the parts Po kept messing up in.

"Keep your feet moving," Shifu reminded the panda. "They won't give you time to bounce back in combat, so put pain from your mind."

The panda was determined, that much was certain. He bit his lip, blocking and chopping and pulling out every trick in the book he knew…yet he couldn't resist that one little thing that got Tigress's fur frizzed more than anything.

The feline gave a startled yelp when she realized she was being swung around by the tail - AGAIN. "_Po!!_" She again leaped into a flip, and again she dealt him a doozy of a headbutt.

"Oww!!" Po was free to express his discomfort without an audience around, stumbling back on his haunches. "I-I'm sorry, you're so easily irritated by it!" he hid an amused smile behind his headache. "It's funny!"

"Do it again and you'll have a facial scar to explain to your grandchildren!"

"_Enough_," came Shifu's peremptory command. The red panda rubbed his temples. He felt like he hadn't fully waken up from last night's sleep. "…That's enough practice for now, students, we need to move on. Roll up camp."

Giving Po one more irritated glare, Tigress turned and followed her master's orders. The panda gave a pout and glanced down at the snow beneath his feet.

Then – quite suddenly – Tigress gave what was probably the most girly squeal she'd ever uttered when she felt something wet and freezing cold hit her in the back of the neck and seep down her back. She spun around.

Po smirked and stuck his tongue out at her like a child, a few bits of snow still clinging to the black fur of his paw.

Oh. No. He. Did. Not.

Her ears folding back, Tigress calmly bent and scooped up a giant heap of snow. Maintaining her placid expression, she strode up to Po and rubbed the icy bounty in his face. She quickly followed this with a sweep kick to his feet, making him fall on his tail. Ha. Payback.

"Nnnph!!" Po rapidly wiped the snow from his face and grinned mischievously, packing it in his paws and flinging it at Tigress. The experienced feline warrior rapidly dodged the projectile like it was one of the swinging clubs, and it was by a splat followed by a low grunt that Po realized he'd just hammered Mantis.

"…Ah…" He shrunk back upon receiving the bug eyes of impending doom. "Honest mistake!" he defended, "And an admirable aim, you have to admit!"

"And why is that?" Mantis narrowed his eyes, just daring him to finish that explanation. "Cause I'm small?"

"No!" Po said quickly, paling slightly. "I wasn't going to say that!"

"I'm sure."

The panda pointed to Tigress, stepping back quickly to escape any oncoming attack. "Hey, blame her, she's the one that got out of the wa--EE!!"

"ACK!!!" Viper coughed as the 280-pound panda landed on top of her. "OW, Po, get _off_!!"

"S-Sorry!!"

"AMBUSCADE THE DRAGON WARRIOR!!!!" Monkey hollered.

And from there, things simply escalated into a full-fledged snowball fight – Po being the center of it. Shifu opened his mouth to stop his students, to tell them that they were again acting like children and that they were wasting time. After a moment, however, he merely gave an exasperated sigh and shook his head. Let them unwind…

Po scooped up another snowball in his paws, narrowly ducking out of the path of Monkey's. "_C'mere_, Banana Fur!!" he grinned, flinging his weapon at the primate. Monkey leapt out of the way just in the nick of time. It barely skimmed the very tip of his ear…

…Before finding its target smack in Shifu's face.

There was one collected gasp as all six students stopped dead in their tracks and looked over at their master, who hadn't done much more than blinked at the impact. He pursed his lips in irritation, but didn't say anything. His ear gave a slight twitch, shaking off a bit of snow. Shifu then slowly turned his head and glared over at his newest student out from under his snow-crested eyebrows and ears.

"…Oooh…" was all Po could say as his ears went back.

Shifu only continued to glower at him as he had when the Legendary Urn of Whispering Warriors had crashed to the floor and shattered into pieces. Even as he stood and nonchalantly walked away, he never uttered a word.

Po seemed to sink into the snow as the Furious Five turned to look at him with stares of shock.

The panda's mouth hung open. "Uhhhh… Acciden—!"

He was quickly interrupted by the snowball that came flying out of Shifu's paw like a season-winning fastball from Babe Ruth, smacked Po dead-on in the schnoz, and sent him crashing to his back on the snow.

Leave it to Shifu to take something as innocent as a snowball and transform it into a combat-worthy weapon.

From the ground, Po made a sound that bordered somewhere between a whimper and a groan. And without another word, Shifu put his arms behind his back in his usual, masterly way before turning for the camp.

His other five students watched him leave. And although they couldn't tell for sure, they could've sworn that they had seen their master exact a triumphant smirk from his lips as he turned away.

But what had been the cheer and relief of the crisp winter morning had become a blinding blizzard by the evening. The blistering winds made travel difficult, and consolidation had to be made for a couple of the party members' safety. Mantis was riding on Monkey as usual, but the small insect had burrowed himself in between his friend's windbreaker and the fur on the back of his neck, trying to keep as warm as possible. Viper was in a similar position, settled in her coils in Tigress's hood.

Shifu led the group across the relentless path, using Oogway's staff to try and cut a trail for all of them. He glanced over his shoulder every few minutes and counted, just to make sure all of his students were there. A debate raged in his mind on whether or not they should try and find shelter or move on to make up for lost time. He had two cold-blooded students that could only stand the frozen conditions for so long – they needed warmth and fast. Yet, here in the midst of a blizzard, shelter couldn't be found unless it was a few inches in front of you. They could've been a stone's throw away from a safe, warm village or in the middle of nowhere, Shifu could only guess which. His old leg injury, courtesy of Tai Lung's angry paw, had been agitated by the icy water that morning and had hindered the old master's strength all day. Still…he had to endure and lead his students on until they found shelter. There, Mantis and Viper could rest and Crane's injured wing could be spared of the frigid winds.

After another half-hour of trekking through the snow, Shifu stopped. This was becoming madness. Izotakeshi could be doing anything or killing anyone with the sword by now… But if they didn't stop soon, they risked their very lives to the storm. And if there was one thing he'd learned in the past year, it was the realization of how invaluable his students had become to him. If anything happened to a single one of them…

"Po, Tigress, Monkey!" he called back, causing the three mammals to obediently hurry over. "Start digging,"

"Huh?"

"We need shelter _now_, Po, start digging!" the Grandmaster repeated and quickly started working alongside his students to dig out a refuge. Eight frozen paws later, they had created a makeshift snow cave.

The entrance tunnel took a slight dip down to begin with, then it came up again to make somewhat of a shield against any wind that tried to blow in. The four warriors then dug out a hole just large enough for all seven of them to fit into. Shifu dug out a ledge on the wall to hold the humble lantern they had brought along.

The lot of them had to huddle together to retain collective warmth – it was their only hope to survive the night. Shifu curled up into the tightest ball he could, laying his ears back and bringing his tail around to cover his nose. He wasn't feeling like himself at all… Something about this whole ordeal was somewhat…confusing and yet, all he could think about at that moment was getting warm again.

While the snowstorm raged outside, the old master and his students hoped that clear skies would be waiting for them in the morning and finally, slowly fell into a restless sleep.

_**TBC…**_

And if anyone makes any dumb or immature comments about them all sleeping in the same place at the end of the chapter, I will tai-bo you SO quickly. When you're out in freezing conditions like that and you want to live to see another day, your only hope for warmth is each other.

And the same goes for taking their clothes off after pulling them from the ice. When someone falls through the ice like that, wet clothes HAVE to be taken off as soon and fast as possible, otherwise their chest can practically freeze from the wet and cold and they could die. So keep the immaturity to yourself, please.

Have a nice day. :D


	9. Step Up, Panda Style

Chang belongs to me!

All other characters in this chapter belong to Dreamworks Animation

_Chapter 9: Step Up, Panda Style_

_Something's on my nose… Get'it off… Three more hours, Daddy… Stop! I'm gonna… Oh, no… Ahhh…_

"_Ah-FWOO!!_"

Mantis yelped as he was rocketed off of Po's nose and sent flying straight into a sleeping Tigress's face. The feline fighter woke with a start and swiped at the air with a paw, rolling over.

"Ow!" Crane shouted when he got kicked in the head by a tiger foot and lost his hat to Viper's coils. The snake gave a gracious yawn as she poked her head out from under the weaved headwear.

"Nng…" Monkey snorted, stirring awake. "Po…get your butt out of my face…"

While his students were still bleary-eyed and abed, Shifu was already standing outside of the burrow and assessing where they were. He was absolutely still and quiet, staring towards the far horizon.

"Oww, my spleen…" Po muttered as he emerged into the daylight and the others followed behind. "That's the last time I let an insect sleep on my nose."

"Wasn't exactly a peaceful night for me either, pal, you snore!" the bug grumbled.

"I do not snore!"

"I thought the darn roof was going to cave in you were so loud!"

One by one, they all stepped up next to their master…and gawked.

The landscape before them looked like it came straight out of a scroll painting. Black and white mountains stretched as far as the eye could see in any direction, most of them dissolving out into fog and mist. It was official; they were out in the _wilderness_ of the wilderness – not a trace of civilization in sight.

"Whoa…" Po's jaw dropped. "That doesn't look like our backyard… Are we still in China? Something about this seems more…Siberia…ish…"

"Living in that valley all your life, you wouldn't know Siberia from Spain, Po. We're still in Dàzhong," Shifu confirmed. "We head northwest from here."

_Greeeeeat…through the snow, uphill both ways._

The panda retrieved the cooking pot from the cargo load and stepped over to the nearby drift, scooping snow up into it. He could halve and steam those kumquats his dad had given him. Quick breakfast, just what they needed. He set the pot down and reached into the pocket he recalled storing the fruits in. The first thing his finger grazed wasn't the fleshy skin of his breakfast, but the grain of some sort of paper. He gripped the object and pulled it out, surprised to see a rolled-up scroll resting in his paw.

_The hey-de-hey? _The panda – for the moment – completely forgot about kumquats and started to unroll the parchment.

"Po."

Po stopped and looked up quickly, greeted by Shifu's stern glare.

"What are you doing?"

"I-I'm just…" He stuffed the letter into the pocket of his recently dried burgundy shorts, "…getting the stuff together for breakfast…?"

"_No,_" came his master's peremptory reply. "We move on immediately."

"Already? Wh-what about breakfast?" Po piped up.

"We've lost valuable time as it is, Po, we can't delay."

"With all due respect, Master," Tigress stepped forward, "we have a long ways to go… It's best to have something to keep up our—"

"Are you defying your master??" Shifu snapped at her. "We leave _now_."

Po and the Five shut up in stunned silence. The old master merely kept his eyes narrowed and stormed off.

"…N-No breakfast?" Po sounded positively betrayed.

"_No._"

"Not even a little??"

His plead went unanswered as the Five quickly and silently fell into step behind their master. Tigress was obviously miffed about having just been publicly reprimanded. "I thought you were supposed to thrive on nothing but the dew of a single gingko leaf and the energy of the universe," she tersely remarked to the panda as she walked by.

"But…" his bottom lip was close to quivering as he stared after them. "I'm hungry!"

Finally, begrudgingly, he began to pack the cooking equipment back up. He gave a yelp and spun around when something clunked him in the head before landing in his paw. A peach.

"Now shut up." Tigress turned and followed the others.

Po once more brought up the rear of the procession as they continued traveling, looking around and taking in everything around them. Why in the world had he never left the Valley, never given himself the chance to see all of _this_?

Shifu then came to a stop, and the seven warriors stared up at their next obstacle. Po gaped. "…H-How are we supposed to get past this thing?"

"We climb it, Panda."

His eyelid twitched. "…You're kidding, right?"

Straight in front of the warriors stood a massive wall of solid rock. The low-lying mist made it hard to tell where it ended, at least from where they were standing at the bottom. Po just knew that if he tilted his head back any farther, he was going to fall over.

Wasting no time, Shifu clutched all four paws onto the rock face and started climbing. One by one, the Five followed suit.

"You're not kidding… " Po trailed off, hanging back and glancing up at his master.

"From what I recall, Po…" Shifu informed, "…Chang told me you learned to climb before you ever learned to walk…"

The panda pouted. Then he took a deep breath and cracked his knuckles. "Okay, Dragon Warrior…time to face the beast." He approached his enemy…and stared up the length of the endless wall. "…Mommy…"

Only minutes later, Po already felt like he had climbed Everest. The view around them was foggy but amazing…but he didn't dare look down. At the instance of his foot almost slipping, however, he got a glance of the lethal fall below him. _Why'd I have to be at the bottom again??_

At the top of the chain, Shifu found himself unusually short of breath and feeling like he had climbed Everest with weights on his arms. The altitude was causing his bad leg to feel like fire, and his fingers were having a hard time hooking into the crevices of the rock. He usually didn't wear out so easily…

"Master?" Monkey piped up, checking to see if the red panda was all right. Shifu edged over a little off to the side to let him take the lead. The simian, after all, had Crane strapped to his back and had been charged with hauling the bird up the cliff. But, with his upper body strength and arboreal instincts, it didn't seem to be that much of a problem.

"G-Go on, Monkey…"

Looking a little worried, Monkey obeyed and scaled past his master. He paused long enough to look down at Po, who was sweating bullets from the bottom of the chain. "How ya doin' down there, oh-so-great Dragon Warrior?" he teased.

"Hey!" Po narrowed his eyes, his lower lip sticking out. "Being at the bottom is humility and humility is greatness, _Monkey_. Right, Master Shifu?"

When he received no response, the six warriors glanced up at the red panda in question. He had pretty much stopped on the spot – his ears were tilted back and his legs were beginning to shake.

_If I can just close my eyes…rest, just for a second… That's all I need…just…a moment…_

"Master?" Tigress's brow furrowed worriedly.

_Just a minute… That's all… S_hifu's perception became distorted, he felt the air suddenly change around him, and he was barely aware of his students' sudden shouts of horror.

"MASTER!!!" Viper practically shrieked from Tigress's hood, watching the Grandmaster's grip slide right off the rock. Stomach jumping to her throat, Tigress lunged to catch her master, claw barely brushing against his fur before clutching itself back on the rock. "No, no, _no!!!_"

Po and Shifu both gave a grunt as the large panda swung out with all his weight and strength and caught the small master in his free arm. As much as he tried to hang on, the panda's paw merely scraped – painfully – against the rock face. Biting back his yelps of pain, Po barely caught onto the one thing he could to anchor and save them from the lethal fall.

Tigress gave an animalistic cat's yowl and clawed at the rock, and everyone could immediately tell that the panda, in his desperation, had grabbed her tail.

_I am going to KILL him!!!! _"**Po!! **_**Ow, ow, ow, ow, oww!!**_**"**

Po instantly dug his feet into the rock, trying to lessen the pull on her tail. "Sorry!" he sent a quick apology up before returning his attention to maintaining his balance. _Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down…_

Snarling, Tigress tried to ignore the pain in her tail and put all of her strength into hoisting them up. "I think I see the top!" Monkey called, reaching down to help Tigress. From there, the Five slowly worked to pull their two fellow warriors up inch by inch. Po regained his breath, trying to allow his heart to come down from his throat and wincing from his scraped paw.

"Po…?" Shifu spoke up in what was barely above a whisper.

His student looked down at him, worried. "Yeah…?"

"Take a shower," the small master put in before promptly passing out from exhaustion in the crook of the panda's arm.

_**TBC…**_


	10. Shifu's Sacrifice

It was kinda weird to write this chapter…considering both that the vet said my dog had two weeks to a month left to live and I currently have come down with some inner ear/allergy bug. But there it is.

Captain Chen Koto and Izotakeshi belong to me!

All other characters in this chapter belong to Dreamworks Animation

_Chapter 10: Shifu's Sacrifice_

It was only by the combined efforts of the six warriors that they made it to the top of the cliff and Po and Shifu were lifted back to solid ground. They stopped under the nearest overhang they could find, at least long enough to regroup.

Monkey laid down a loose tatami mat for Po to rest their ailing master on. Only once he was on it did Shifu give a slight moan and started to come to. When he managed to open his eyes, he seemed a little flummoxed to see his six students gathered around and staring worriedly at him.

"…I don't recall authorizing an assembly," he murmured tersely, indicating that he needed his space. Picking up the hint, they all stepped back a little. Viper kept at least close enough to feel his forehead with her tail.

"Master…you feel so cold…"

"I'm _fine_," he insisted. The old red panda tried to sit up enough to look around. "Where are we?"

"Atop of the ridge, Master… You fell and we almost lost you…and we were worried, so we stopped to—"

"No more stops," Shifu snapped. "We're behind as it is, there's no telling what Izotakeshi's doing with that sword by now!" He gave an abrupt grunt of pain, begrudgingly allowing Viper to coax him into lying back down.

"Master," Tigress spoke up quietly. "We've…been talking, and we're beginning to feel that…we should turn back for the Valley right away."

"_Absolutely not_," the old master's reply couldn't have been quicker.

"Master Shifu, please listen to reason…" Crane voiced. "You would have a better chance for getting well again if we turned back for the Valley now rather than continue on to Surt Kosi. It's still three days away."

"The purpose of this mission was not to come all the way out here just to turn back again, Crane. It was to retrieve the sword!" The red panda then gave a hollow cough accompanied by a sudden shiver.

Viper frowned, extremely worried. "Master…I know how important that is to you, but you need a doctor…"

"We are _getting_ that sword out of Ju-long's hands even if it _kills_ me," Shifu half-snarled. "I will _not_ allow for my father to have died for nothing."

The snake's eyes wandered to the ground, and she gave a hesitant nod. "…Yes, Master…"

Whether he liked it or not, Shifu's condition got the best of him and he closed his eyes in an uneasy rest. Tigress took over and suggested temporary camp be made until they could rest and regroup. They built a pit fire and Viper prepared some of her famed sugared tea – a worthy remedy for colds and such. Mantis was stationed to watch over Shifu, and Crane and Monkey saw to preparing dinner. Tigress sat down to tend to Po, who would've been preparing dinner had he not hurt his paw so badly during the escapade up the cliff face.

"Oh, my gosh…" Tigress whispered under her breath when she saw that the pads on Po's paw were horribly scraped and bloodied.

"It's not much…" the young panda tried to force a smile.

"Yeah, I've had worse," the female tiger countered, smirking inwardly at the face Po made which could only be read as '_darn…_' "Even so…" she added, "…you saved Master Shifu's life…and I'm eternally grateful to you for that…"

Po gave an awkward smile. A compliment? From Tigress? "Well, you know…" He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Just doing the whole…kung-fu Dragon Warrior hero thing…"

Tigress cleaned his paw off with a wet cloth until it became damp in little red splotches. She then pulled a wineskin case from her pouch and took off its cork with her teeth.

"What's that?" Po inquired, but only got an answer once Tigress took his paw and poured the wine on his cuts, which caused his face to instantly distort in pain from the sting. "_Aaaaaaaaahhhh_, oh-ho, _yes_…" He grunted, his face still twisted in a grimace. "Ráksi… My favorite."

Tigress seemed amused and proceeded to wipe his paw clean of the remaining blood and alcohol with a cloth. "Sorry…"

Po pouted. _No, you're not, _he thought. _That was getting back at me for using your tail as an anchor back there._

He watched as the feline fighter took a roll of cloth bandages out from one of the travel sacks and tore off what she thought was a decent length. She then worked carefully at wrapping the panda's paw up, not too tightly or too loosely. Since when was Master Tigress a registered nurse, that's what Po wanted to know.

At the sound of the kettle singing, Viper slithered over to prepare a cup for Shifu. She had, beforehand, soaked a few cloths in the hot water and carefully laid them around her master's head and neck in hope to warm him up. Whether it was working or not was still a mystery.

"Master…?" she spoke up quietly, rousing the red panda from his sleep. She helped him sit up at least enough to take slow, steady sips of the tea. Tigress and Po turned to watch them after the wounded paw had been bandaged. Shifu finished perhaps half the cup before he drowsily refused the rest and Viper aided him back down on the mat. She carefully reapplied the compresses, made sure his blanket was covering him adequately, and returned to powwow with her fellow students. They all stepped over to hear the report of their master's health.

"Well?" inquired Monkey.

Viper's short snout was a bit wrinkled, a sign that she was very concerned. "You'd think he would have a fever, but it's practically the opposite… He's so cold… And he won't stop shaking a-and he's starting to talk funny…"

"I still think we should turn back, " Po put in. "You know how ridiculously stubborn he is when he sets his mind to something…"

Crane shook his head. "If we turn back now and abandon the sword, Master will never forgive us, Po… If it were one of the other relics, I think we'd all be inclined to take him home whether he likes it or not, but…"

"But it had to be the Sword of Heroes," Mantis finished his sentence.

"I still don't get what the big deal is about that sword!" Po was getting flustered as well as worried. "What was Shifu talking about his father's death meaning nothing? And what does the sword have to do with any of that?"

The Five exchanged glances until all eyes rested on Viper. After a pause, the snake took a deep breath and looked at the panda.

"Look, Po… Shifu's father, Captain Chen Koto, was the ultimate hero of China during his life. When Shifu was a cub, the Ju-long Alliance stole the Sword of Heroes. They tried to convince Captain Koto to join them, but he refused…" Viper's eyes wandered down to the ground at this point. "In the wrong hands, the sword proved too powerful for the captain to fight, and Shifu witnessed it firsthand as his father was slaughtered by the Alliance that night… They didn't succeed in keeping the sword only because of its tendency to scald the evil at heart once it drew blood…"

"…Captain Koto's blood…" Po guessed.

Viper nodded. "Shifu was only six at the time… He had no mother, so that's when Master Oogway took him in. And now that it's been stolen again, getting the sword back means everything to Master Shifu. That's why he doesn't care if he survives it in the end… Not only is it his duty to protect the palace treasures as Grandmaster, he just wants to see to it that his father's sacrifice will still mean something generations down the road."

Po simply sat there, stunned. It seemed as though he didn't know his master quite as well as he had thought. He'd heard about Captain Chen Koto in scrolls and stories, known for his amazing valor on the battlefield and for creating the fighting style of _Xunyin _– he even had a place among the memorials of the Hall of Warriors. It hadn't occurred to him for a second that he had been Shifu's father. Then again, he'd only recently learned that Chen was the old red panda's family name.

"Even if we can't take him home," Tigress interrupted the panda's thoughts as she addressed them all, "we at least need to find him a doctor at the first town we find."

"Tigress, we don't know when and if we're going to _find_ civilization out here," Crane motioned to the vast mountains around them.

"All the more reason we've got to look out for him." The next words out of Tigress's mouth were ones that nobody expected to hear. "Were it not for him, I'd have been alone and isolated until I was old enough for Bao Gu to kick me out… And as distant as he was to us for so many years, Master Shifu had made sacrifices for all of us."

Monkey, Mantis, Crane, and Viper all gently gave concurrent nods at this.

"He's provided for us all these years and he's…never given up on any of us, no matter how despised he made any of us feel..." She and Po made slight eye contact at that point, but only briefly. "…This time, it's our turn… We can't give up on our master. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm going to make sure he lives to see the sword _and _home again."

All six of them agreed, and – for the next two long, exhausting days of travel, they kept true to their word. After some consolidation of their cargo, the young masters emptied a bag big enough for Shifu to fit in. They lined it with a few of their thickest blankets. Then, wrapping him in yet another blanket, they cautiously tucked their master into the makeshift sleeping bag and pulled the edge of one of the blankets up over his head as a hood to shield him from the wind. When all was said and done, he looked like a swaddled newborn baby.

Tigress, Monkey, and Po all took turns carrying their ailing master in the backpack. Mountains were scaled and rivers were crossed with the utmost caution. The six students constantly fought between the decision to travel on and try to find a town and doctor, or to remain in a shelter where Shifu had wind protection and warmth. Simply getting the red panda to eat or drink had become a two-person job, as he could hardly even open his eyes anymore.

Despite his students' loyalty and persistence on his behalf, Shifu was showing no signs of getting better. It was late into the night that it simply became too dark and too cold to travel, and the group was forced to make camp in a shallow cave. But it was clear from the get-go that none of them were going to get the first wink of sleep. Shifu's shaking had stopped altogether and it was terrifyingly hard to make out any trace of breathing or pulse. It was beginning to look like, in fact, that he wasn't going to last the night.

As they all sat gravely and silently in the small cave with nothing but the fire for light, Viper was the first one in which it sank in entirely, and she finally broke down in tears. She hated seeing her beloved master like this – helpless, unresponsive, and bedridden. Crane gently curled a comforting wing over his sister in arms. One could've even sworn that the flickering fire had reflected off of the wetness that had collected in Tigress's eyes.

Po sat on the cold stone floor right next to Shifu's tatami and stared at his dying master. He was just waiting and hoping that Shifu would again snap his eyes open and bark, "I'm not dying, you idiot!" to his near-blubbering student. This was the same guy who, within the past few days, had defeated a whole slew of Ju-long warriors while dangling from a cliff face and had kept his dumb panda of a student from drowning under four inch-thick ice. And after all of that, what was it that was going to finally defeat him?

His experience.

Tears fought their way to the Dragon Warrior's eyes, no matter how hard he tried to hold them back. _I should've never made you get out on that ice, Shifu… I'm sorry…_

This very thought made the tears come all the more. They had no one to blame but him… Shifu had assigned _him_ with protecting the sword, and he had let himself be scared out of his fur enough to Izo to whisk it away. _He _had made Shifu get stranded on the other side of the bridge, _he_ had wandered onto the ice and slipped and made the floe trap them under the ice… _I'm sorry, Master, I'm so sorry! _His knees drew up to his chest and his face buried into his arms. He remained this way for several minutes, until…

"Guys! Guys, over here!!" Mantis yelled, breaking the mournful silence with a vengeance. Everyone was, at first, too stunned too move – which entirely changed with the word: "Lights!"

They all hurried to the ridge where Mantis was looking down into the nearby valley. The landscape was pitch black…except for the faintest glow of two little lanterns positioned at either side of a gate.

"A village??" Monkey spoke for everyone's shocked silence.

"Put out the fire and pack up _now_!!" Tigress wasted no time in moving them on. "Maybe they have a doctor! Po, you get Master Shifu!"

Po leapt immediately into action and ran to where his bedridden master looked to be only moments from his quietus. The red panda gave the slightest, weakest grunt as he was picked up into Po's big arms. Camp was wrapped up with kung fu haste and Tigress grabbed their humble lantern to guide them through the dark.

"It's gonna take at least two or three hours to get down the mountain!" Mantis reasoned, leaping onto Monkey's shoulder. "He'll never make it!"

"Yes, he will!" Tigress countered. "He has to!"

With that said, the group of warriors raced off down the mountain and towards the singular lights of the small village below. Perhaps there really was some hope still left for Shifu…

_**TBC…**_


	11. Char Yuan, The Tea Village

Roller coaster time!! BTW – just so ya'll know – it may be quite a while before the next update. The next two chapters will be quite long, and for good reason. You'll see…

Captain Chen Koto, Izotakeshi, Chang, the gatekeeper, and the doctor belong to me!

All other characters in this chapter belong to Dreamworks Animation

_Chapter 11: Char Yuan, the Tea Village_

At least one pulled muscle and two skinned knees later, the group of young warriors reached the tiny gate of the dimly lit village. Yet, to the absolute horror of them all, they were locked and bolted out. "Hey!!" Po pounded desperately at the door. "Open up!!"

The tiny door within the door abruptly opened up, and the six warriors saw a pair of eyes staring down at them. "I'm sorry," the owner said, "no one gets in after hours, you'll have to come back tomorrow."

Po shot his free paw up to keep the door from closing again. "No, c'mon, look, one of our group is really sick, he could die if we don't get him to the doctor right _now_!"

"Sir, this is only protocol, I cannot let you in!"

"If you _don't_, then Grandmaster Shifu is going to die before we can get here in the morning!!" Tigress snapped.

The guard paused and stared at each of them. His golden eyes suddenly widened with a startled exclamation – "By stars!" – and he promptly shut the little door. There were the clicks and chinks of bolts being unlocked, and it wasn't long before the doors opened wide. The gatekeeper was a bull, Po could at least make that much out in the three seconds he turned to look at him. "D-Dragon Warrior Po!"

"Where's you doctor?" the panda panted.

The burly animal pointed in the direction of a small stone house not far down the road. "Right down there, but— Hey, whoa, wait!!" He called after the group as they raced by.

Despite the absence of lights and the lateness of the hour, the six warriors raced through the door of the office, startling it's inhabitant.

"Whoa, there!" shouted the doctor, who looked to be some sort of ram – and was currently dressed in his night robe. "Hey, loonies, the office is closed, can't you read??"

"We need help!" Crane explained, and it was only then that the doc saw the sickly red panda in Po's arm.

"Oh, my…" He quickly went to the far side of the room where there was a bed mat in the corner and motioned with a hoof. "Over here."

Po led the rush over, being very careful of his master as he kneeled and laid him on the mat. The doctor quickly rekindled the fire he already had going and returned to examine his patient. He felt the red panda's weak pulse, monitored his breathing, and lifted his eyelids to examine his pupils. He then turned to a fill a pot with water and set it on the fire. "Hypothermia."

It came a little suddenly for Po. "Wait, what?"

"Your friend has reached the most severe stage of hypothermia. His heart is literally freezing and keeping his blood from warming him naturally. It's a miracle his body was strong enough to withstand all the jostling around he got with you running here like headless chickens…"

Tigress stared at her master. Hypothermia… This all made sense now… Shifu's condition had started not long after the incident on the ice. Directly after that, he had been the only one not moving and sparring, as he was standing still and overseeing training. It should've been obvious. His sudden crossness, his lapse of more-than-usual stubbornness, the shivering and weariness… That followed by his much more severe symptoms. His body had completely stopped its natural process of maintaining heat, that's what had made him so cold to the touch.

"All right, young ones, I need your help," the doctor's voice quickly drew her attention back. "Whatever extra blankets and dry clothes you have, get them. We need to get him insulated."

Following his instructions, the Five went about their orders at kung fu speed, only being reigned in when the ram snapped: "Slowly! You heat 'im up too fast and it'll kill 'im!"

After the red panda had been warmed and hydrated to the best of their abilities, the students stepped back and the old ram carefully positioned a pillow under Shifu's head. "We've done all we can do… It's up to him now," he announced. "If he survives the night, he's got a chance." He then turned towards the young warriors. "In the meantime, you all need rest now."

"Sir, we'd rather j-just—"

"Doctor's orders," the ram insisted in a no-nonsense tone. "Please get some sleep, all of you. You've come a long way. I have extra blankets and mats, you can bed down right here in the room with him." He stoked the fire once more. "I can tell you this much, young ones: It's a good thing you brought him when you did. Another few hours and we would've lost him."

The old ram served them each a small helping of light broth and a cup of oolong tea to help soothe their nerves. Yet – though they reluctantly followed orders afterwards and started bedding down – not one of the six students fell to sleep peacefully.

Po was the first to stir in the morning, his eyes droopily opening to the black ashes of the fireplace. _Who put that there?_ Then he recalled where they were and what had happened that previous night. The lanterns in the valley, the locked gate, the old ram doctor…

_Shifu…_

The young panda almost didn't want to look, knowing full well that his master could be dead. He _could_ be alive…but he could be dead.

Taking a deep breath, Po sat up and turned towards the old red panda. He hadn't prepared himself for what he saw before him, and his heart sank. Shifu hadn't moved an inch, and was in the very same position he had been in when they had gone to sleep. He was deathly quiet, no sound of struggling breath – nothing.

It took everything Po had not to cry as he shakily lifted a paw to his master's heart, knowing he wouldn't feel any movement beneath the skin.

Tigress's insides practically twisted as she was jolted from her sleep by a piercing scream from across the room. Her arms and legs were moving before she was conscious of it, and a raucous sound between a shriek and a roar ripped from her throat. She crouched into stance, ears back and ready to attack.

"…Master?!"

Po almost had his face pinned into the floor, one arm twisted painfully behind his back and pinned by a certain red panda's foot. Shifu had a rough grip on the Dragon Warrior's ear, a fierce and startled look on his face.

"…He's not dead!" Mantis celebrated.

It was at this point that Shifu realized that he was holding one of his students in his torture hold. His ferocity gave way to shock as he stared down at the panda.

"…Morning, Master," Po grinned painfully.

Shifu instantly let go, the sudden use of what energy he'd had left making him stagger. The old ram came over quickly enough to keep him from falling off Po's back. "Steady, sir…" He eased the red panda back to his mat. "The last thing you need now is to be getting worked up."

Nothing could have been truer, as Shifu was already out of breath from his kung fu reflexes. He looked around, utterly confused.

"All will be explained in time, Master." The doctor started running one more checkup, just to see he was doing in his recovery. "This will take a few minutes," he addressed the students. "All of you, please feel free to re-supply and use the bathhouses out back. It'd be best you not continue on through the mountains until your master shows any improvement."

Knowing now that there was no arguing with him – and relieved that their master was alive – the six of them were grateful to get the chance to bathe and refuel from the long leg of their journey. The Surt Kosi River – and therefore Ju-long's base – was only a day's travel away now. Depending on Shifu's progress, it could or could not take longer.

The village they had found was the humble little tea village of Char Yuan. Being in the middle of Dàzhong, it was a very tiny place with a population of no more than a hundred. But it had enough fertile land to grow a healthy crop of tea plants to be exported down the mountains. The villagers were welcoming and friendly, yet shocked that the greatest warriors of their generation had showed up in their humble town. This also included the usual crowd of aspiring little youngsters.

When the six students got back to hear the report on their master, they were relieved at what they saw. Shifu was sitting up in bed, sipping at bowl of broth and rice noodles. And he was quite hungry, they observed. He looked up as they walked in and smiled. After hearing from the doctor what they had done for him, he couldn't hide it even if he wanted to. How blessed he was to have such fine students…

"Master," Crane smiled back, he and the other exchanging bows with him. "How are you feeling?"

"…Tired," Shifu answered honestly. Then added disappointedly, "the doctor says that if we continue on at all today, it shouldn't be until I can walk again…"

"Darn right," the ram approached the old red panda with teacup in hoof. "One more cup for the morning, and two before bed tonight. I've given young Po the herbs – he says he'll make sure you get it, so you make sure you drink it, mister," he smirked.

"Ugh…" Shifu reluctantly took the tea. "I drink enough of this, I'll start turning into a _pink_ panda."

"Drink," the doctor repeated, to which his patient obeyed.

By his orders, Shifu remained in the ram's care for a few more hours, in which Po re-supplied their bags with the food and items he had earlier purchased from the market – as well as the dried tea herbs for his master's medicine. As for the red panda himself, he couldn't do much but eat, sleep, and grouse.

"I don't _need_ that much," he told Po as the panda packed the tea canister. "Look at me, I feel fine."

"Nope," Po nonchalantly replied. "The doctor's word is law, Master. You're taking it if we have to get Mantis to shove it down your throat."

Shifu lowered an eyebrow. "Bold talk, Dragon Warrior." he smirked.

"Just take it, Master Shifu," Po pleaded. "Master Oogway was right, you've _always_ been innately stubborn."

"Is that what he said?" Shifu nonchalantly lifted his chin and glanced at Po out of the corner of his eye. "I was a very attentive and well-behaved youngster under his apprenticeship, thank you very much, Panda."

Po rolled his eyes. "Pfft… Liar."

The old master smirked. _Dang… Ratted out by an obstinate cub. _"I don't lie," he tried to cover.

"Master Shifu…" the panda lowered an eyebrow – he wasn't buying it, not for a second. "Now, c'mon, you expect me to believe that a cruel-humored old-timer like you was some kind of little angel cub and never did anything drastic and just inanely stupid?"

"…I hate you."

"You _are_ a liar, Shifu." Po grinned.

"The _one_ exception, Dragon Warrior, would be when we 'borrowed' an old fishing raft from Benjirou's father and took it across the borders. We wanted to sail away to Taiwan to become officers."

"You expected to get to Taiwan on a raft?"

"We were six, all right, we were ignorant. We didn't get far as it was, as our driving was atrocious and we ran into rocks and were – soon after – attacked by a croc. We most likely would've been hors d'oeuvres had Father not shown up. We had come so close to getting chomped and drowned and he had been so worried that I don't think he knew whether to hug me or tend my wounds or tan my hide… It was all three, in that order."

"Going across the borders _is_ crazy…and just plain stupid at that age. You sure you're not regressing?"

"This is a serious mission, Panda, Izotakeshi could be well on his way to overtaking the Imperial City. If we can't get the sword back—"

"We'll get it back, you have your students' word," the panda finished up the packing. "Right now, the doc wants you to sleep and get your strength back."

"Po, really," Shifu said sincerely. "All of you have taken great care of your old master, I honestly feel like I'm right back to normal, like I could climb a mountain."

"Let's not until we're sure," came the decisive reply. "If you can get safely on your feet and the doc says it's all right, we may get somewhere tonight – but until then, Master Shifu, lie _DOWN_."

With a rather boyish pout, the Grandmaster obeyed, his lopsided ears imitating the arch of his eyebrows. "I curse the day you became a superior warrior of legend," he smirked.

"Just sleep so you're not _more_ cranky this afternoon, okay?"

"Yes, Mother…"

On that note, Po grinned and slipped outside to let his master sleep. The little community was now alive with activity, though not quite as busy as it was back at the Valley of Peace. The panda looked out across the vast mountains and just imagined what it'd be like to wake up every morning in the village and see such a view outside of his bedroom window. The view outside the Jade Palace wasn't that much different…but _this_ was like being straight in the middle of an ancient acrylic painting, in the midst of totally untamed wilderness.

Glancing back at the little house that was the doctor's office, Po made his way towards the edge of the village – marked off by a steep slope of snow separating the village from the mountainous range. He could just take a look around and be back in time to leave with the others if Shifu was walking okay.

Climbing to the top of the slope, the young panda was greeted by the same glorious view as before. The air was cold, yet crisp and cleansing… It was actually quite beautiful when it wasn't blasting snow and hail at them in the middle of the trail and turning their legs to icicles. And poor Shifu… He'd gotten the brunt of its fury.

As Po looked out across the white terrain and thought about the last few days of brutal travel, he couldn't help but realize how far he and Shifu had come – not only as master and student, but as friends. When they had first met in the Hall of Warriors, both would've denied being at all similar to the other – yet they were finding out day-by-day that they were everything but opposites. Both had been torn from their parents in some way or another – and at the ruthless hands of the Ju-long Alliance – at a very young age, orphaned for one portion of their lives and motherless the rest. Both eager cubs aspiring to some day be warriors, both destined for great things. How ironic that their paths would meet in the Jade Palace – where both had been thrust into with the mindset that they had no business there.

The young Dragon Warrior was simply standing and pondering on these thoughts when his ear perked up at a distinct scratching sound. Leaning forward, he looked around a bit and finally came away from the rock he had settled by. It was coming from around the corner…

Employing everything he knew so far of kung fu stealth, he edged his way over and slowly peeked around the edge.

Who should be standing before a large and withered mango tree but Izotakeshi, sharpening his claws on the trunk.

Biting back a gasp, Po quickly ducked behind the rock. What in the world was _he _doing here?? Wasn't he supposed to be at Surt Kosi with his thugs?

Pursing his lips tightly, he poked his head back around the corner. Along with the most notable scars on his arm, the aging panda had welts and marks completely covering his back that had otherwise been hidden by his tunic and robe. Lash scars, they looked like, from a flogging. But who on Earth would come at the leader of Ju-long with a whip – and apparently win??

No time for questions now, he reminded himself, THE Izotakeshi was standing right in front of him! He couldn't tell Shifu – if he did, the stubborn fool would ignore his condition and come running. He _could_ go and get the Five for backup, but there was no guarantee that Izo would still be there when they came back… And maybe he could even…

He was that crazy, was he?

_Ah_…_OK, big guy… Time to show 'im why they call you the Dragon Warrior…_

As careful as he possibly could be, Po put one foot in front of the other and crept across the snow. If he could maybe do that one nerve strike from scroll 384, he could knock the guy unconscious, at least long enough to bring him to Shifu… It would at least make up for letting him get away with the sword. Creeping right up behind his foe, he raised a paw and positioned his fingers just so…

"Don't try it, cub. It's not worth you getting beaten again."

_UGH!!! _ Po's ears flattened and he tightly shut his eyes in frustration. The aging panda casually turned to look at him with an unperturbed cock of an eyebrow. Po now saw that he had one more scar right underneath his right eye, though small.

"Take it easy," he urged, noting how Po was still in stance and ready to fight. "There's no point in fighting, at least not now."

Po didn't fall for it for a second, and didn't lower from his stance. "…What are you doing here?" he questioned suspiciously. "Where are the others?"

"At the base," Izo turned his attention back to the trunk and his claws. "Even I have to get away from the wretches every once in a while."

With the elder panda's back again turned, Po saw his chance and lifted his paw to strike. And for the second time that morning, he all of the sudden found himself jerked into a painful arm lock. "You don't quit, do you?" Izo growled.

"Ow-wow-ow!!" Po sweated a little at how close the old guy's nasty-sharp claws were to his skin. "Watch it with those things!" To his relief, Izo stood back up and turned back towards the tree. This time, Po took the hint: Izotakeshi had eyes in the back of his head and zilch for a sense of humor. "You could poke somebody's eye out with those things!"

"What makes you think I haven't?" Izo smirked.

Po wasn't sure if he was joking or not… But okay, he _did_ have a sense of humor…a dark one…

The Ju-long leader read the uncomfortable look on his face. "You clearly haven't experienced claws, I venture."

Pausing, the younger of the pandas glanced down at his paws. Yes, he technically had claws, but they were stubby and round little things that couldn't inflict any kind of damage to anything.

"I've…never really had to use them before…"

"And excluding me, you've fought _how_ many opponents, Dragon Warrior?"

"It's not the warrior's way," Po announced. "Even Tigress doesn't use her claws in combat… It's a point of honor that we don't."

"Oh?" Izo lowered an eyebrow. "Who told ya that, the white rat in Emperor's clothing?"

"…Yes," Po frowned resolutely. "And if he learned it from Master Oogway, I believe it. Besides, Shifu's my master… I trust him…"

"Sure you do…" Izo muttered listlessly, continuing to sharpen his claws. _If only he knew…_

Po stared at the lethal weapons. It…certainly made him a lot more intimidating both with and without the outfit. Just because he couldn't use them in battle didn't mean he could…maybe just have them to look awesome… No one would have to know how…

Stepping up to the tree, he observed how Izo was going about the art and tried to copy his movements. The older panda glanced over to take a look at what he was doing. "You're going the wrong way."

"Huh?"

"You scratch up, not down."

Though every bone in Po's body told him not to, he followed Izo's instructions of scratch the bark faster and only scratch the sides. When he finished, he couldn't hold back another fanboy-ish smile. He'd have to grow his claws out a bit more, but they definitely looked sharper…literally and figuratively speaking.

"You know any tiger style?" Izo questioned.

"Yeah…"

"Try it out."

Po thought for a moment. Then, poising his paw for the tiger claw strike – fingers flexed just so to bear the said weapons – he swung around and struck the trunk behind him at full-force.

"Whoa!" he laughed, pulling his paw away and staring in amazement at the indentations his claws had just made in the bark. "That is AWESOME!!"

Izo rolled his eyes. _Just as I thought…_

"Did you make that up yourself??" Po practically giggled, quite enveloped in his old fanboy habits.

"During my escape from Calcutta," the elder panda informed, nerves clearly tweaked by the Dragon Warrior's vigor. "Easily took down seven Imperial soldiers who happened to be in my way."

Po's smile instantly disappeared at this and he felt a little sick to his stomach. Imperial soldiers…men like Captain Chen Koto who fought for the sole purpose of defending His Majesty the Emperor and the innocent citizens under his sound rule. _Ugh, just stop talking, Po…_

Sighing, he pouted and stuffed his paws into his pockets…and his fingers grazed across a certain, folded piece of rice paper. _Hey, almost forgot about that thing… How'd it get in my bag?_

He pulled out the old parchment and examined it. It had long since been detached from the two scroll heads. The paper was yellowing, the edges were frayed, and one of the corners was dog-eared. The ink of the script was thick and dark, like the writer had almost dragged the brush while writing – it also looked like the hand had been a little shaky. Pensively furrowing his brow, Po started to carefully decipher the writing.

_Dear Mr. Ping Tzu…_

_You might not remember me… I've come to your noodle shop a couple of times before and we once made friendly conversation on the subject of children. You had told me about how much you wanted a child. I had told you that my wife was expecting a cub within a few months._

_The baby with which this letter came is that cub…my only son. Due to circumstances I cannot share, I can no longer keep him. His mother is dead, and I'm being forced to leave the Valley. But, I could not leave before I saw to it that my son would have a good home._

_I'm giving him to you because I want him to have a safe and simple life, and to never fall into the trap I have found myself in. I know we only know each other through one talk over the counter, but during that talk, you just seemed to have a certain honesty and reliability to you that I've come to admire. I can't think of anyone else in the Valley I can trust to take my son in. _

_Please don't ever tell him about me. In my circumstances, I will probably never see him again. Giving my son away is the hardest thing I've ever had to do and it kills me to just up and leave him, but his life is at risk if he doesn't stay in the Valley. Please raise him as if he were your own, and give him the love that his mother and I cannot be there to give him._

_He is a sweet boy, but be sure to keep a close eye on him… He likes climbing up where he can't be reached._

_His name is Po – because he was our most precious light in our hardest of times._

_Thank you,_

_- Anonymous_

The words simmered in his head for a bit…before everything suddenly snapped together like puzzle pieces in his mind. Po's eyes widened at the proverbial sound of the final _snap_!

Izotakeshi didn't kill Chang… Izotakeshi _was_ Chang?!

_My dad is the bloodthirsty leader of the Battalion of 1000 Ages?!_

_**TBC…**_


	12. So It Began

Another warning – long chapter ahead! The next chapter will be lengthy too, but it will be a continuation on this flashback. And Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Izotakeshi, Chang, Kasem, Fei, Sumi, and Hei Long belong to me!

All other characters belong to Dreamworks Animation.

_Chapter 12: So It Began_

"_Heeeeeyyyyy!!_" Po promptly tripped over his own feet. "Mr. Izo, wait!!"

The elder panda came to a stop and turned to give him an unenthusiastic glance.

Po pointed at him, then at the letter with his mouth gaping open. "Y-Yeh…Aah-buh…You…! Gah…!" He couldn't get one word out, instead grasping his head. "Daddy…?" he squeaked.

"Yes, congratulations." Izo lowered his eyebrow. "You figured it out."

Po now was able to see just how similar in the face he was to him. Except for Izo's slightly bushy eyebrows, steel blue eyes, larger chin, and facial scar, it was a scary similarity. "B-But if you're my father…h-how did you turn into…_that_?" he motioned to the scarred, stone-cold panda before him.

Izo didn't say anything just yet, instead staring at the letter. Po couldn't tell if he didn't want to speak of it, didn't care to answer any question, or simply couldn't remember. "…Long story," was his informed answer. "A long, long, very _boring_ story." As he turned and started to leave, Po put it together. He _really_ didn't want to talk about it.

_No, man, I gotta know!!_

"I like long stories when they're about me!" he ran after his estranged father, his words coming out in waterfalls. "L-Look, the letter talks about your hardest of times, what does that mean? A famine or war or something? Where did we live? How was it that you had time to even _write_ the letter? D-Did you guys ever know I would become the Dragon Warrior? Wh-What about Mom? Did Mom really have green eyes? I've always tried—"

"_Stop_ asking me questions," Izo snapped, his patience reaching its limit.

"Shifu told me you killed Chang! Ah-I mean killed you!! I-I mean—"

"Yeah? And did he tell you _my_ story? Did he tell you about the famed dark origins of Mitsuo-Izotakeshi?"

"N-No… H-He said you and Uncle Kasem were his students and you killed Mom and—"

_WHACK!! _Po stumbled back, startled at the sound and the sharp pain up his snout. Izo growled, his fists clenched. "This is an outright _lie_, boy. I loved your mother more than anything in the world and I could have protected her if it wasn't for that little white _rat _you've been _kissing up to like the Emperor himself!!_"

The younger panda's shock was distracted only by the agony he was currently in from the break of the older panda's patience…and possibly his nose. "Oww…" Po whimpered, nursing what he was sure was bleeding. "What…?"

"Your precious Master Shifu has been lying to you, Dragon Warrior."

_Shifu doesn't lie…_ Po reminded himself.

_He just did, didn't he?_

Now Izo was sitting on a nearby rock, tersely sharpening his throwing knife on an old Indian whetstone. The younger panda urgently clenched his fists, biting his lip a little. He couldn't leave without some answers… He was so close to them, and he was _here_ with his own blood, the one who knew everything, who could tell him everything. Yet, unable to leave and wise enough not to pry while the old man was holding a throwing knife, he could only flop to a sit in the snow and stare at the letter in his paw. He just wanted to know… He had once been loved by this guy, the letter proved that. If what it said was true, what could've happened to turn his heart so dark? And what had really happened to his mother? If Izo hadn't killed her, who had? And why hadn't he or she killed his infant self if they had the chance?

Scraping rock against metal, Izo glanced out of the corner of his eye towards the young panda. _Stubborn cub…_

The two sat in absolute silence for a few minutes, in which snowflakes started to carefully fall from the sky. Po was completely distracted, however, and took a deep breath to try one more time.

"…Dad…?" he spoke up, noting how Izo's ears tilted back at the address. "Please…?"

Once again, his only acknowledgment was the _scrape_, _scrape_, _scrape_ of the knife against the whetstone. Po finally gave up with a slump of the shoulders and listlessly rubbed his sore paw and snout. He stared up at the snow, continuing the awkward silence.

"…It was snowing like this the evening before you were born."

Po looked up at him quickly. "What?"

Izo looked him in the eye, his mouth set in an undaunted frown. "I said it was snowing like this the evening before you were born."

A moment of silence. His ears perking up a bit, the younger panda leaned forward a bit to confirm what he had just heard. "So you're gonna spill…?"

"I will if you shut up," came the abrupt reply. The Ju-long leader continued his sharpening. "Kasem and I _were_ students of Oogway and Shifu at the time…as was Tai Lung."

It then occurred to Po. "T-Tai Lung… Is he the one that killed Mom??"

"I'm _getting_ to that," Izo snapped.

---------

Training at the Jade Palace during the months following Changzhi was torture; Chang and Kasem could agree on that much. Sweating out training in 34°F weather wasn't quit a winter wonderland…especially when one of your two masters was a crotchety old red panda that scrutinized your every move.

The young panda warrior that was currently in the middle of the practice spar was absolutely nothing like the scarred warrior of twenty years time. He more resembled his offspring at the time Po had been thrust into the Palace against his will. But, with a few years of kung fu training already under his belt, he was slightly more coordinated. He had his brother in a stronghold, with one paw holding Kasem's arm behind his back and the other holding his head down against the floor. The triumphant panda's steel blue eyes grinned as he leaned forward to mutter in his victim's ear. "Who's the awesome-er?"

"You are," Kasem murmured, voice halfway muffled by Chang's palm driven into his cheek. Unfortunately for the victor, his last remark earned him a knock over the head with Shifu's flute. A retribution for his swaggering. He kept forgetting his master had those big ears for a reason…

"Today is the day you end the days of your cubhood and become a man," Chang had been told during his manhood ceremony. "It's time for you to leave childish thoughts behind and set your mind on being a mature adult."

Both Chang and Kasem seemed to be very slow on that part. Shifu often related them to 13 year-old rapscallions. On one particularly bad day, he had related them to bratty 8 year-olds. This being said, there was no malice in the brothers' mischief…only immaturity.

"Now, Tai Lung," Shifu turned towards the young snow leopard, keeping the eyes in the back of his head on the pandas. "I want you and Chang to spar—"

"Chang!!" a messenger goose suddenly hurried through the doors of the training hall, catching the attention of the giant pandas, as well as Oogway, Shifu, and Tai Lung. "Your wife's in labor! The cub is coming!"

Chang's ear pricked forward at the news, and he quickly looked over at Oogway to request dismissal. The old tortoise was far ahead of him, however, and smiled with a single nod of his head. With a respective bow to both of his masters, Chang turned and hurried out of the training hall. Throwing a shawl over his shoulders, the panda had to make sure not to slip down the snow-encumbered steps as he raced down them like never before, barring through the nasty winds that had settled into the Valley.

It was quite possibly the fiercest winter it had seen in decades. The snow fell in torrents about every night and the wind was blistering – the very worst weather in which to be forced to birth a cub. Chang had nearly broken his back making sure every gap, every imperfection in the façade of the humble house was covered… Aiding Fei to a doctor was out of the question, so the delivery would have to be made right there and then by the fireside.

Though the wait wasn't long, it was as pregnant as the house's mistress had been for about the last five months. Once all was said and done, Chang still wasn't quite through panicking.

"Are you sure you're warm enough?" he questioned, positioning the blanket so she had as much coverage from the cold as possible.

"We're all right…" her voice came softly, tiredly. She remained slightly hunched over, as she herself was trying to provide as much warmth as she could for the fragile little miracle nestled against her. The cub was nearly buried in Fei's fur, blind, helpless, and no bigger than her finger. His squeaks and cries were only calmed by his mother's gentle touch.

"You positive?"

"Sit down, Daddy," she urged, scooting over a little to make room for her husband. Being as quiet as possible, Chang sat beside her. He lovingly put an arm around her and pulled her against him. His nose nestled against the soft, white fur of her forehead as he kissed it gently.

Never had a man and his wife loved each other more, of this Chang was sure. And never had a man and wife received a more precious gift than the little one that now slept soundly in his mother's fur. Chang beamed like the proud new papa he was and carefully stroked a finger along the cub's head and back.

While the snow and wind raged outside, the little family completely surrendered themselves to the peace and security of each other's company in the warm, flickering light of the fire.

Kuang Po… Their very own "precious light" in such a dark night.

_I could hold you right in the palm of my paw, you were so tiny. You grew fast, though…a little more fuzz on ya every day. Unfortunately for us, walking wasn't the first thing you learned…climbing was._

"Po!" Chang was shocked beyond belief when he and Fei had looked up and seen their seven month-old cub up in the rafters, babbling and smiling without a care in the world. "How did you…?" the father's jaw was set in a gape, which he quickly shook off. Fei stood beneath the rafter, set to catch her son if he slipped.

"No, wait, wait, I'll get him," he urged. "Po? Son, c'mon, come to Ma mi and Baba!" he coaxed sweetly.

Po only blinked and watched his frantic parents, delighted by how much attention he was getting simply by playing this game. He stayed planted right where he was, leaning over the rafter to look at his baba in his inverted field of vision.

Chang put his paws on his hips. "All right, little _yo tz_, am I gonna have to come up there and get you myself?"

Rolling onto his back and tilting his head back, the little cub smiled widely. "Ba-ah," was his enlightened response.

"Is that a 'yes', young man?"

Smiling, the infant cub merely blew an innocent raspberry at his parents.

Chang's shoulders slumped a little. "Aie-ya…" He slipped off his vest and went to get a chair. "If he's this defiant now, he'll make for an interesting teenager…"

Fei watched worriedly as her husband stood up on the small chair and reached for the cub. "Come on, son," he smiled brightly, trying to lure the youngster over. "C'mon!"

"Baa!" the youngster gave a toothless grin, yet still remained just out of his father's reach no matter how much Chang cooed and smiled.

"Po…" he gave a sigh and pulled one foot up on the back of the chair, hoping to get enough of a lift to pull the infant carefully into his arms. Instead, however, the chair tipped under his weight and caused him to have to cling to the rafters with both paws, legs dangling in the air.

Fei gave a gasp. "Chang, honey?!"

"All under control!" Chang reassured her, grunting as he tried to hold on tight. "Ahh, my back…" He looked up at Po. "…I'm sure Master Oogway would've _loved_ to see this." His eyes then widened a little when he saw the infant lower his head and wiggle his little tail. "Ah-ah-ah! Po, _**no**_," he tried, as if his son understood that magic word yet. "Don't you even_ think _about—"

"Dahh!!" the panda cub pounced, landing straight on his face with his tiny paws gripping his father's nose and using the nostrils as handlebars.

"Aye--!! No, no, _no_—!!"

Fei gasped sharply as Po clung to his father's face and Chang fell with an ungracious crash to the floor. "Chang?? You all right?"

Chang stared at the ceiling. "Retirement will be a wonderful thing…" The weary father laid flat on his back, holding his son just as far above the ground as he could. "…as long as this kid doesn't kill me first…"

"Eeh!" Po happily wiggled out of his father's paws and onto his bouncy belly, looking to explore a bit more.

"Whoa, whoa," Chang quickly sat up and lifted the cub up into his arms. "I don't think so, little _yo tz_," he smiled. "I think you've had enough adventure for one morning."

When he realized that he had been caught and his moment of freedom was over, Po fussed and squirmed and tried to work his way out of his father's arms. "Naaaah!"

"_You_ are quite the elusive one, young man." Fei gently chided. She approached with a bottle in one paw and scooped her son up with a smile. "Come on, sweetie."

Much to the relief of his parents, he decided that breakfast sounded better than climbing at the moment and began sucking hungrily at the bottle. Fei gave a loving smile.

The little family was abruptly startled from the moment by a _tap-tap _at the door_. _The two adult pandas exchanged a baffled look. Chang then walked over and carefully opened up to see who their visitor was…and admittedly couldn't tell _what_ it was. A tall, muscular, cat-like animal, with the build of a leopard and the fur and stripes of a tiger. Behind him stood a rather burly ox.

"…May I help you?"

The large cat spoke abruptly. "Kuang Chang?"

"Yes…?"

"I wish to speak with you… May I come in?"

"…No," Chang frowned. There was something he immediately didn't like about this character, and he wasn't about to risk his wife and son with him in the house. "What do you want?"

Fei pulled the bottle back for a moment to try and hear what was being said. She couldn't see the visitor, but she could pick up the irritated edge in her husband's voice.

When he didn't get the answer he wanted, Hei's ears went back. "Sir…" he glared icily, "I don't believe you know who I am."

Chang glowered. "Maybe not…but you're not welcome here." The door was then slammed in Hei's face, though the cat did not change his stone countenance.

The ox stood poised to brandish his ax. "Should I break it down, Commander?"

"…No," the tigard growled. "Mr. Kuang has chosen to do this the difficult way." He looked at the medallion in his paw, studying its smooth surface.

Wrapping her cub up in his blanket, Fei looked up at Chang coming away from the door. "Who was it, love?"

"N-No one," her husband said quickly. There was no sense in scaring her with talk about the stranger. "Desperate solicitors…"

Fei gave a concerned frown, but couldn't say anything, as Po chose that moment to demand the rest of his bottle. After breakfast, the young mother was seeing her husband off. Chang gave both his wife and his cub a goodbye kiss. He then slipped the strap of his knapsack over his shoulder and started off for the Palace.

Turning back for the house, Fei noticed a black cord necklace with a medallion hanging next to the door on a nail. She carefully took it into her free paw to examine it, perplexed by what it was doing next to her front door. With a delighted squeal, Po reached out to catch the shiny object in his tiny paws.

That very afternoon, after a rigorous training regimen, Tai Lung was startled out of his room by a furious shout out in the hall.

"KASEM!! GET BACK HERE SO I CAN KILL YOU AND HIDE THE BODY IN THE MOST UNEXPECTED OF PLACES!!!"

The snow leopard opened his door just in time to see Kasem sprint down the hall like a fire-breathing dragon was on his tail. Worse than that, he realized, when Chang came skidding around the corner, breathing heavily. Somehow, his entire head and shoulders were drenched in blue watercolor paint.

The two warriors made eye contact for a brief moment. Tai Lung finally found his tongue. "…Uhhh—"

"Don't ask." Chang muttered and bolted after his brother again. He caught sight of him and picked up the pace, lunging at Kasem just before he could turn the corner. "HA!!" He threw his arms around his victim's ribs, and both pandas yelped as they crashed headlong through a paper wall. When they looked up, they found themselves on the floor in a heap of fur, looking straight up at the faces of their two masters. Chang saw Shifu's ears tilt back and start to twitch, a sign that their own ears were about to be conformed beyond their limits.

"…Practice sparring," he grinned innocently.

"With…watercolor." Kasem put in.

_I am _not _going to repeat the tongue-lashing Master Shifu dished out afterwards… But he made it clear that we were on his _very _last nerve. Our penance? Completely repairing the wall we had crashed through before we could go home._

Chang absolutely hated it when Shifu had to stare over his shoulder with stuff like this. Kasem was getting more wooden frames, so the aging master had nothing else to scrutinize but Chang measuring out the rice paper. Quite honestly, the young panda was beginning to feel like his master didn't exactly like the two of them. He and Kasem had first come to train at the palace when they were both eight. They seemed to get along with Shifu for a while…until Tai Lung showed up on the doorstep a couple of years later.

True, the snow leopard was the head of the class – it had been that way pretty much since the three year-old kitten had floored thirteen year-old Chang during a spat in the hall. But with all this talk he'd been hearing throughout the decades about this "Dragon Warrior" and the fact that Shifu had given Tai Lung a name meaning "Great Dragon"…it was obvious. Chang wasn't dumb in the least, he knew what Shifu wanted to believe. Whether or not Tai _was_ the Dragon Warrior, that was for Master Oogway to decide.

The sun had already set by the time the pandas finished work and plodded out into the Hall of Warriors with sore arms and backs. Kasem, however, quickly brightened when he saw a familiar form by the door. "Sumi!"

Chang watched his brother dash over and meet the awaiting female panda with embrace and a deep kiss.

"I thought you'd be home by now, Chang," Sumi put in once the kiss was broken.

"Nah…" Chang jabbed his brother in the rib. "Your little dim sum here got us in trouble with Master again."

Kasem shrugged. "It wasn't my—!"

"Yes, it was."

"Was not."

"Too."

"Not."

"Too."

"Kasem?" Sumi interrupted. Her eyes sparkled expectantly at her love, and she suddenly seemed rather excitedly. "…Did you tell him…?"

Chang glanced between the two. "What?"

"The big news!"

"Master Oogway is permitting Sumi and I to get engaged," Kasem came out with it, grinning like a fool.

"…What? Seriously??" Chang smiled. "I-It's about time! When's the wedding?"

"Four months away."

Sumi took a gentle hold of her fiancé's arm. "Why wait so long, baby?" she giggled. "Let's just get married!"

Chang smirked at this. Knowing Sumi, she was dead serious in saying that. "I better get back to Fei," he excused himself, allowing the affianced couple time together before Kasem was due back in his chambers. "She and Po are probably worried I've fallen off the edge of the earth."

After saying his goodbyes, he hurried out the door and down the stairs into the night…completely oblivious to what awaited him at home.

He first became aware of an uncomfortable change in the air as he approached the small house. It was too quiet…and there wasn't the usual smell of Fei's cooking wafting out from the chimney. He then froze in his tracks when he saw the front door cracked and half torn of its hinges. Heart dropping to his stomach, Chang dashed over to look inside, and his face fixed to a horrified stare.

It looked as if a typhoon had just torn through the house. Everything in sight was either shattered or ripped to pieces. Furniture was in shards. Strings of beets, bundles of wheat, and bags of rice were ruined on the ground. Worst of all, Chang didn't see a single trace of life in the room.

_Fei and Po, Fei and Po, _the two names raced constantly through his mind as he plowed feverishly through the rubble.

When he found his wife under the broken chair, he almost didn't recognize her. He raced to her side, gently cradling her head in his paw. It looked as if she had been victim of every weapon of war under the sun. Blood and bruises were all about her face, arms, and back. Most of her wounds were clearly the three parallel marks of a big cat's claws. "Fei??" he gently yet frantically shook her, hoping for a response. He put a paw over her heart. The cold and stomach-twisting nothingness underneath confirmed Chang's worst fear. He stared at his love's still, lifeless face. Even in death, her face remained gentle.

He would've broken down in uncontrollable tears had a certain thought not come to him and make his insides calcify in horror.

_Po…_

"PO!!" he found himself yelling and practically tearing the place upside down trying to find his infant son. The bassinet had been knocked over not far from where Fei had fallen. He feared the sight of that which could be waiting for him at any area. Those monsters wouldn't have taken him with them, would they??

He right ear suddenly pricked to the side at a sound – or at least what he hoped was one. He listened again, this time hearing the defining sound of an infant's crying. It seemed to be coming from the corner of the room. Racing over to the source of the noise, he pushed aside a broken-down table and about two or three torn cushions.

His heart gave a leap in thanks to the heavens when he saw his son lying on his pastel blue blanket. He was a little dirty, but he was well and alive, and that was more than enough for Chang. The tiny cub was crying from the scare of the chaos that had just occurred and from the sudden absence of his parents. Catching his breath, Chang reached his large arm down to gently scoop Po up. He rested his son in the crook of his large arm and spoke to him gently, trying to calm him down. The cub's whimpers began to subside at his voice.

It had been Fei's quick-thinking that had saved Po's life, Chang knew. She had hidden him soon enough and well enough for Hei and the others to miss him altogether.

"It's okay…" he comforted and gently ran his large fingers along Po's fur, trying to soothe his cries.

Still whimpering, the cub reached up his tiny paws and clutched his baba's finger. He looked up at him with his mother's jade green eyes.

"See?" Chang smiled gently. "Baba's not leaving you." He held his tiny son closely against his chest, gently touching foreheads with him. "Baba's never leaving you…"

It wasn't long before gentle breathing confirmed to him that Po was curled up and asleep against his chest. Chang gave a weary sigh, taking in the calm after the storm.

But it was only the pause before a hurricane.

At that moment, the panda felt something quietly graze the fur on the back of his neck, seemingly coming from above. His heart all but froze in his chest as it crept around his neck and finally revealed itself as what Chang feared it had been – the tail of a large cat.

Whipping his head up, he saw Hei crouched on all fours in the rafters, his sapphire eyes flashing. The leopard-tiger hybrid was still in full hunting mode from his previous kill, his broad shoulders flexing, his ears back, and his tail twitching back and forth. "Hallo," he grinned sinisterly.

Had the scenario been any different, Chang would've attacked. But the simple presence of his cub in his arms turned him from a ferocious fighter to a fleeing gazelle in seconds. Po's startled yelps quickly gave way to cries as his father dove to avoid Hei's claws and the sudden noise of crashing and growling grew to a frightening height. Chang leapt through the window with a snarl, instantly picking up his cub in his jaws and taking off on all fours.

As he dashed through the streets with all the speed he could, he could hear Hei Long's snarls and the scrape of his claws against the sides of buildings. He was straight on their heels. He then became conscious of a burly gorilla barreling right alongside him on the next street. Then a wolf was coming up at his heels on the other side.

Securing Po in his jaws, Chang took a rapid turn and barely avoided a swipe of Hei's claws. He took a powerful leap at an old building, barely grasping onto the ledge with his paws. Hoisting himself up with a snarl of effort, he went tearing across the rooftops. If there was one time to put to use all those speed and stealth techniques Shifu had drilled into his head, this was it.

The panda ran just as hard and as fast as he could, the only thought being in his mind to escape. He wasn't sure how long he had been going when he suddenly realized he wasn't being chased anymore. But in his dash, he didn't dare stop. If he could make it over this last red-tile roof, he'd be right at the palace stairs and he'd have the backup of his two masters to turn to.

His final leap was abruptly cut when Hei fiercely lashed out from behind the red rooftop and grabbed his arm, slamming it into the side of the building. Chang hit the wall hard, losing his grip on Po and only quick enough to catch him in his free arm. When the panda looked up, he saw a certain medallion hanging in front of his face. His eyes then lifted to meet the cold, arctic eyes of its holder. "Well, I suppose we can both see now that asking nicely wasn't very productive," Hei growled. "So I'm going to try this again, Mr. Kuang."

Chang's response came with flattened ears and a seething snarl. "Over my stone-cold body, you _SICK_ little—!!!"

Like a set of steel switchblades, Hei's claws instantly sprung out and drove fiercely into the panda's arm. Chang had to bite back a yelp. In his recoil, he caught a brief glimpse of just how high up he'd gotten in his escape attempt. If the tigard were to let him go, it would be a brutal fall towards breaking a leg if not worse.

Hei's ears were flat against his head and his eyes were reduced to near slits. "Now listen, you worthless insect… The way I see it, you have a few choices here. Ether you come quietly, you fall and break your neck, or you give your brat to me."

Chang snarled fiercely at this and started to lurch at him, set to bite his face off. Hei savagely slammed the claws of his other paw into the panda's arm, making him instead duck his head and bite back another cry of searing anguish. The young father thought he'd stop there, but – at this point – Hei had reached the end of his rope. The brown fur of his mane was standing straight up in fury. He dug his claws deep into the bear's arm, raking them down. His victim's head dipped lower. It took everything he had for Chang not to cry out and startle his son.

Breath shaking, he opened his eyes and found himself looking straight into the eyes of the frightened cub. Po could read the distress on his baba's face and the anger in the voices around him…and he didn't like it. Whimpering, he buried into the older panda's fur.

Still panting and writhing in pain, Chang stared down at his son. Hei was right about one thing… He didn't have many options at this point. He would die before willingly handing the cub over to those paws… but if he refused altogether and allowed the Ju-long leader to drop them, he risked – at the least – breaking a limb and having Po swiped from him. He closed his eyes again.

If this was what it came to…if his cub's future and very life depended on this one moment…Chang just couldn't say no.

Another hard rake of the cat's claws made him again bite back a yelp. "_Answer me_, panda!!"

"I-I'll go…!!" his victim forced out, voice breaking both from defeat and the searing sting. "…I'll c-come with you… But…i-if I may…" he caught his breath. "…If I-I may please…take my son to his uncle… Please…"

Hei's ears tilted forward complacently yet dubiously. "…And why should we allow that…?"

Chang's breath shook. "…If you allow me to see to my son…I'll a-accept your proposition… I-I'll take that medallion…"

The tigard seemed to ponder on this for a while, his icy eyes seeming to search the idea. It was perhaps a full minute before a growl rolled in his throat and he tightened his clawed grip on the panda's arm, leaning towards him.

"One hour," he sneered. "And if you're so much as spotted by anyone else, the cub is mine."

Chang remained silent, fighting to endure the stabbing pain. He gave a tight flinch as Hei abruptly seized a handful of black fur between his shoulders and hoisted him roughly up onto the roof. Grunting, the young widower hugged his club close so as to protect him from the tumble.

"Now _beat it_ before I change my mind," Hei snarled, and this time, Chang obeyed. Within minutes, he had scaled back down to the ground and taken off for Sumi's house. He knew he couldn't go straight to Kasem at the Palace – if Hei saw him running there, the house of the Grandmaster, their deal would be eliminated in a second… And the last thing Chang wanted was to risk Po any more than he already had.

Racing up to the little house, Chang momentarily forgot about civility and barged straight into the house. "Sumi!!" he shouted. "Sumi, I know it's late, but I need you guys!!"

He paused just for a moment, straining to see across the pitch-black room. Not only was it dead silent, but the bed mat was empty as well. And on top of it, there laid a solitary piece of paper. Attempting not to fumble over furniture, he hurried over to the mat and grabbed the paper with his free paw. He had to move into the moonlight coming through the window to read it. Inked on it was one word alone: _Eloped._

_No, NO, Kasem, you little rat!! Of all the days!!!_

His fingers curled tightly, angrily around the paper until it fell crumpled on the bed. Defeated, he stumbled back onto the tatami, his cub in his lap. Po sucked on his paw and looked around the darkened room while his baba's empty gaze remained on the floor.

_Now what?_

_---------  
_

Of all the little things he'd come to admire and treasure since Po had been born, never had Chang imagined that bath time would be such an important moment for him and his cub.

Cradling his son in one arm, he dipped a paw into the water to make sure it wasn't too hot. Once it seemed adequate, he attempted to recall what Fei had taught him of the proper method to bathe a baby. He lowered Po gently into the water, placing his favorite bath toy in with him – a little wooden duck.

Chang's mind was unpleasantly full as he slowly, carefully lathered soap into the cub's fur. He had less than an hour to decide and carry out the most important decision of his son's life. Where was Po supposed to go now? Who in the world – or in the Valley of Peace, at least – would be willing to take in an abandoned panda cub at the drop of a hat?

There was always the old widow standby of leaving him at someone's front door…but Chang wasn't about to give his cub to just anybody. There had to be someone out there that needed him as much he needed them… Someone he'd feel safe with. If only Kasem hadn't left…

No. Chang didn't dare let his son out of the safety of the Valley. Even if he did, Kasem was untrustworthy in his book. Skipping off like a pink pixie pony through the daises and out of the village, that little brat…

The young widower eventually proceeded to the rinsing. Blissfully unaware of his father's plight, Po gnawed on the little wooden duck with his milk teeth and stared up at the elder panda.

Smiling a little, Chang gently pulled the toy from his mouth and lifted the cub up, setting him on a towel atop the counter. Po contently leaned into his baba's paw as he was dried off. The young father smiled gently at his son, pulling the towel a little up over his head to rub his ears dry. Po's head poked up and Chang saw a single little green eye peeking out at him. His heart melted. Even at his lowest, the cub could always bring a smile to his old man… How he was going to miss that…

Spirits still lifted a little, he leaned down and playfully poked his nose into the towel. This instantly got a giggle from Po, who wiggled back farther under the folds. Chang grinned and stuck his head completely underneath, tickling his son's neck with his nose. Po squeaked and took a playful lunge at him.

"Hey—Ow!!" he quickly pulled his head back, finding his cub clinging and gnawing on his nose. "Oh, being cheeky, are we?" Grabbing him, Chang pushed his snout into Po's tummy and blew a raspberry. The cub gave a laughing squeal and grabbed at his baba's fur, trying to climb over his shoulder. Chang chuckled and wrapped his son up in the towel, getting a comb and gently brushing his wet fur out. After a few strokes, he abruptly stopped. He took another look at the wooden duck toy sitting at the bottom of the basin. It dawned on him.

He knew where he could find Po a good home.

Directly after he got his son dried off, Chang fed him one more bottle and set him down in his bassinet – the sides of which now somewhat rickety from the onslaught on the house – to sleep. Then, as the cub napped silently under the security of his blanket, Chang sat down to write the letter to whom he hoped would accept the part of Po's new father.

It was only minutes later that – with the letter in his belt – the young father gently lifted the cub from his bassinet and wrapped his blanket around him. "Sorry to wake you up, buddy…" He kissed Po on the forehead, making sure he was bundled up warmly before slipping out of the house.

Hei Long and his troop were waiting for him in the bamboo forest, which stood straight in the middle of the little village. All eyes turned when he came marching into view, a hawk-eyed glare across his face. For all Chang knew, he might as well have been carrying a newborn lamb through a pack of starving wolves. The panda's guard elevated at least one hundred fold as he walked through pair after pair of leering eyes, keeping his cub wrapped securely in the crook of his arm. Anyone who so much as took a musing glance at Po was met with a low, warning growl from the protective father.

Coming through the brush, he looked up at the building that was both the noodle shop and the residence of its owner. Alongside the back door were sacks and old storage crates, common of the business. The panda sighed quietly and looked down at his son. "…Okay…" he forced a smile at the cub. "…Here we go, little _yo tz_."

He kneeled and rested his son carefully down on the ground, to which the cub gave a loud protest. "Shh-shh!" Chang whispered, allowing Po to clutch his finger and calm down a bit. "C'mon, buddy, this is your only chance, okay? You gotta be quiet."

"Aah…" Po intently studied and felt every bristle of fur on his father's finger.

"You be a good boy for Mr. Ping…" He caressed the cub's face with a finger, kissed his forehead, spared every second he could with him. But his time was almost up, he knew. He knew Hei was watching him from the shadows, counting the minutes and poised to make consequences dire if he hesitated too long. Taking a deep breath, Chang gave his cub one more affectionate pet on the head. "Bye, buddy… I love you."

Po looked up at his father and blinked, watching him rise to his feet. The young father staggered over to the back door, raising a paw to knock on the timber.

He paused for a moment, knowing that if he did this, things would be final – his son would be off with another family and he himself would be imprisoned with the Alliance for life. Everything he had always dreamed about in being a father… Seeing Po take his first steps, hearing his first words, teaching him all the things that a boy should learn from his father… He'd never get to experience any of it. But he wanted nothing more than for Po to have the second chance at life that his father couldn't. Raising his head high, Chang bit his lip a little and gave the door three forced knocks. He immediately turned and ran back towards the shadows, fighting all he could not to look back one more time at his son. He knew if he did, he would break all over again. He'd be tempted to scoop his cub up and race off as fast and as far away as possible. And then, even if they could escape, they'd be out of the safety of the Valley and Hei Long would never stop hunting them.

Ducking behind the nearest tree just as fast as he could, Chang held his breath and listened for the opening door. It wasn't long at all, however, before Po took notice that his father was nowhere in sight. Between that and being left in complete darkness, the cub began to whimper and fuss. When left unnoticed, they quickly escalated.

With those cries, Chang could hear the small voice in his head. _Don't leave me, Baba! You said you'd never leave!_

He shut his eyes. _Don't go back, you can't go back… You can't help him anymore. If you're seen, it could cost him his life. _It felt like ages waiting for Ping to come out and find the cub. Chang then had a horrid thought… What if the guy wasn't home? He had no time to take his son to another home… He had only minutes left before Hei Long would take extreme measures on both of them. All he could hope was that somebody, somewhere would find Po and have the heart to care for him, or at least take him to someone who could.

_Click._

The young father nearly jumped, then gave a deep sigh of relief. That sound of an opening door was, at that moment, the most precious sound in the world. While remaining in the shadows, Chang peeked out from behind his tree. Just as he had expected and prayed, there was the same gray goose standing in the doorway, poking his head out. Almost immediately, his brown eyes lowered to rest upon the whimpering, swaddled cub.

"…O-Oh, my…"

Po squirmed unhappily in his blanket, waiting for his father to come back for him. His eyes eventually opened a little, and he gazed up tearfully at the approaching chef.

"…I-It's all right…" the goose smiled softly. "I won't hurt you, little one…" He gently petted the cub on the head with one wing, noticing the scroll and picking it up with the other. The cub's tearful gaze soon turned to one of wonderment at this kind-faced stranger.

"Who in the world would give up a darling little thing like you?" he unrolled the scroll and read it over carefully. "…Po…" he smiled at the young cub when he finished. "You poor dear…"

The little panda infant innocently clamped his milk teeth on the edge of the rice paper, tiny nose twitching at the familiar scent of his baba still on it. He looked up at Ping, his shining green eyes melting the goose's heart. He couldn't possibly say no, not when this little cub and his poor father depended on him…

Looking at the similarity in little Po's face, he was reminded of that visitor to his noodle shop… Honest, reliable, and a charming wit about him. Yet he couldn't quite remember what the name had been. Chong? Choy? Chan?

Po gazed up at the goose, and Chang saw an immediate connectivity between the two as the latter carefully scooped the infant up into his arms. His cub would be happy and loved here. _Heavens bless you, Ping Tzu…_

Ping smiled fondly as the little one sleepily curled up into his wings. Then, wrapping a fold of his robe around the contented cub and holding him close to his chest, he turned and disappeared back into the small house, closing the door behind him.

The light from inside that little house was the last hint of warmth and comfort that Chang would experience for decades. Letting out a breath, he came out a bit more from behind the tree and rested his cheek on the trunk.

He felt a paw on his shoulder… But it wasn't a friendly gesture in the least. It was much more like those nightmares where the cold-blooded monster reaches out of the darkness and grabs your shoulder, dragging you off into its lair just as you wake up. Not for Chang. There was no sitting up in bed in a cold sweat next to Fei, no glance around the quiet little house and no relieving realization that it was all in his head. His wife wouldn't be there with a peaceful smile in her sleep and little Po wouldn't be snuggled up in his bassinet, quietly suckling on his fist amidst his dreaming and snuffling – that none of it really happened and they were all safe and sound in bed.

Finally gathering his strength, Chang lifted his head with an undaunted mask across his face, turned, and followed Hei Long into the shadows.

_Please don't worry about me, Fei… I'll be all right… He still needs you…_

_**TBC…**_


	13. Ice and Stone

"OMIGOSH, TGB, IT TOOK YA LONG ENOUGH!!!!"

Yeah, I know. Sorry for the insane delay, but I've just found out how grueling art school is. Plus, there's a lot to tell in this chapter, it has a lot of action, and it's 12 stinkin' pages. And since my last update, a LOT of changes have been happening in my family. Anyhoo…enjoy!

_Chapter 13: Ice and Stone_

Izo sat and stared at the three ugly scars gracing his forearm, lifelong reminders of that, the worst living night of his life. Both father and son sat in absolute, awkward silence. Po slightly bit his lip. He was prepared for the truth to be shocking, but not quite to such an extent. He'd expected the story behind those scars to be the result of some gory, gruesome battle…and it had been, in a way.

Casting a glance at his estranged son, the awkward silence simply became too much for Izo. "Hey," he spoke up, "you'd better get back to the village so Shifu doesn't bite your head off later on."

"Huh?" the younger bear was finally snapped from the trance of the story. "Oh… No, n-no rush, he's probably still sleeping at the doctor's… He kinda almost died last night… S-So I can stick around for a bit." He leaned forward expectantly, to which Izo raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"…What?"

"…Isn't there more to the story?"

The elder panda's brow furrowed. Here he had just told the kid the most gruesome details of his past and still, he wanted more? "…No, there isn't."

Po frowned desperately. "But what happened between then and becoming Commander Izotakeshi? Th-There has to be more that you're not telling me."

Izo studied his face for a long moment. "…You sure Shifu's not going to blow his top to find that you disappeared this late in the—"

"He won't!" Po interjected quickly, sensing that he was getting somewhere. "He won't, just keep going."

"...You and your helpless genes," Izo muttered, and turned to the cub. "Sit down."

------

Chang was whisked away into the mountains, farther and farther away from home each day, thrown into rigorous training in all hours of the day and night.

He threw his fists left and right just as hard as he could, wearing out faster than he could counter his opponent. The ox across from him ruthlessly and quickly followed one fierce strike with another. Even with all of his years of training, the panda simply could not keep up with the barrage of attacks, and was finally pushed to the limit when the ox grabbed his arm in mid-block and twisted it hard. Chang could've sworn he would have heard a sickening crack had Hei's voice not halted the fight.

"Stop."

The two warriors looked up as the tigard motioned with his paw, and Chang gripped his sore arm once it was free, groaning through clenched teeth.

"I must say I'm disappointed," Hei glared at his newest recruit. "That walking amphibian fossil has brainwashed you worse than I thought."

"Excuse me?" Chang panted, shocked at the address of his Master Oogway, the single greatest martial artist in the history of the world.

"You're not using the right stuff. The only way you're going to be worth anything as a fighter is to get rid of that honor and integrity drab that that old lizard has driven into your head. Fight with some motivation in your veins, get angry!"

_There is no room for anger in your spirit, _Oogway had always taught. _Anger is petty and weakening._

His thoughts were interrupted when Hei made a motion with his paw, and the same ox from earlier lumbered over, gripping a quivering ball of white fur by its head. His ugly snout alone was almost twice the size of that poor, old rabbit that Chang now noticed.

"This is Mr. Tung," Hei smirked at the little prisoner. "He's been overdue paying his 700 yuan debt for nearly five months now. We spare worms like him for greenhorns like you."

Chang stared at the shaking animal as the ox dropped him straight at his feet. Heaven knew how long this poor old guy had been in captivity. Even now, he looked terrified for his life staring up at the panda. The young warrior bit his lip. He knew what he had to ask…but he didn't want to. "…W-What am I supposed to do?"

"You're part of our Alliance now," Hei nonchalantly reminded. "Kill him."

Although he had halfway expected that response, it did nothing to wipe off the look of total horror that came across Chang's face. "What??"

"The law of the jungle applies here," the cat glared. "You hunt or be hunted, Kuang. You're not going to allow this weakling to escape and blab on us so _you_ won't get imprisoned for life, are you?"

_Too late for that,_ Chang thought. He looked down at the rabbit, standing stiff. Hei took this opportunity to hit as far below the belt as possible.

"…Kuang…did you know that this rabbit is behind everything in the world you just lost? He informed us on the exact whereabouts of your family, and that you were a student of the great masters Oogway and Shifu. It's because of him that your perfectly good life and happy family completely fell apart… It's because of him that you'll spend the rest of your days roaming the mountains like a vagrant and you'll never, _ever_ see your son again."

"I m-meant you no harm, Mr. Kuang!" Tung suddenly cried out. "I promise I didn't!"

All this time, Chang hadn't pulled his eyes from the prisoner, his fists slowly beginning to clench at his sides. His ears flattened against his head and he pursed his lips. It was a full minute of this deathly stillness before the panda reached down his massive paw and hoisted the whimpering rabbit up by the scruff of his neck. He took the dagger offered to him by Hei and turned his attention to his task.

He closely observed the razor like, ivory blade in his grip, a dragon's head carved into it. He then turned stony, steel blue eyes back to poor Tung. Fist tightening around the handle, the panda slowly lifted the dagger and acted quickly.

Hei Long had the span of a second to dodge the blade that nearly impaled his ear. The moment it had left his paw, Chang sprinted off with all his might down the hill, Tung in his arms. He took a flying leap from the nearby snowdrift, skidding down and tumbling onto his stomach at the bottom. "Go, go, go!!" he shoved the old rabbit forward. "The merchant road's just down the slope, _go!!_"

"Bless you, sir!!" Tung called back as he dashed away.

A Ju-long wolf rapidly darted after the escapee. And before Chang could so much as give chase, the violent blow of a sword's hilt struck him hard on the skull. Then he was abruptly hoisted back by two crocodiles, who grabbed him by either arm and forcefully dragged him over to Hei Long.

The tigard sneered. "Mm-hmm… I had a feeling you'd play hero."

"I was not trained for selfless killing and seeking revenge," the panda growled.

"Well, then…" Hei's face held an eerie calm. "We'll just have to displace that, won't we?" He motioned to the crocs. "To the penitentiary. Give him our best. Fifty."

Chang was yet to experience what "our best" truly implied…yet – as the two reptiles hauled him off – he had a feeling it was very unpleasant.

He was dragged to a monstrous cavern inside a mountain, where nothing could be heard but the echo of the icy air. Its walls went on for what seemed like a mile into the sky, and a single but tremendous iron door had been attached on the lone, isolated, empty space housed within. He would soon learn that it would, in the near future, be rebuilt and called Chor Ghom Prison.

And a prison it was, as Chang was dragged to the center of the floor and shoved to his knees as his wrists were clasped in iron manacles that were chained to the floor. He remained with an undaunted frown across his face, even as one of the crocs gave him a manly slap on the back and walked off with his comrade. "Good luck, rookie," one smirked viciously, and both snickered as they disappeared into the shadows.

For the next several minutes, the cavern seemed completely empty. Chang shifted his wrists the best he could in the manacles. Why he had been brought here, he didn't know. He'd heard word around the recruits that Mr. Tung had successfully gotten away… At least, if nothing else, he'd done that good deed.

Exhausted breath came out in clouds from the cold. The slash marks on his forearm stung viciously; doubtless they were infected by now. They had stopped bleeding, but what remained unhealed would be the physical reminders of his gruesome, lifelong pact.

Several minutes later, there came the metal creak of the cavern door, hinges parched with rust. He heard heavy footsteps and the brief snort of a rhino from behind, but didn't take his eyes off the ground. He had to put on a front while they were around. He didn't dare so much as hint that he had any fear of them, instead he merely flattened his ears in aggression and continued to glare at the stone floor.

The air changed, and – without a single warning – the panda felt as if a dozen tiny knifes pierced into his back so hard that he stumbled forward. The manacles that bound him kept him from running or turning to fight the adversary that fiercely snapped across his back a second time. This time, Chang couldn't hold back a startled and pained cry. Each strike came harder and louder with barely a pause.

He was being whipped, flogged like the prisoner he was – the punishment for treason around this gang. Fifty times each, the nine knotted cords welted into his back. Intent on making the assault as brutal as possible, the rhino brought the final strike down with force so strong it caused its receiver to give a hard gasp for breath and nearly slam into the ground. After the assault finally ended, Chang could feel each and every lash mark stinging numbly in the icy air. The rhino departed without a word, condemning the prisoner to suffer in the pain of the cold until it numbed him entirely.

It turned out Ju-long's method of breaking new warriors was fairly simple – to lock said new members in this cold cell in the mountains for solitary confinement and rid them of food and water for as long as it took, allowing them to physically and mentally thrive on nothing but their bitterness. But it wasn't to say they left them alone in that time…

In fact, he was often reduced to an object of ridicule for the guards who would come in merely to taunt and provoke him. All in sick fun, Chang thought, unaware that it was a crucial part of Hei's newbie initiation.

The panda tried all he could to ignore these sessions of jeering, but it quickly became difficult when they started poking and jabbing the blunt ends of their spears at his aching muscles and open wounds. The first few times, he endured it without much reaction but pained grunting. He was dogged and determined not to make a fuss and put up a fight. Yet, which each session, day in and day out, the taunting became worse, the wounds further infected and painful.

It was a week, a month, three months of this torture as far as Chang could tell before he'd reached his breaking point. The next time he felt the staff poke into his back, his pained grunt was suddenly a furious growl. A chorus of mockingly intimidated reactions arose from the crowd, only further driving on the cruel game. Chang turned to stare back at the floor. He couldn't get angry, he had to clear his mind of the situation. Just because they were treating him like a caged animal, that didn't mean he had to act like one. He was a proud warrior of the Jade Palace, a defender of the nation, a student of the two most honorable masters in China, a respected example of—

_Rrr!!_ Another jab from the staff caused him to nearly cry out in pain.

_You're none of that anymore, genius. _He scolded himself. _You gave up all of that, now you're nothing. You're sitting and rotting in the middle of nowhere, how proud is that? Now if you want to get anywhere, stop acting like a pushover!! Fight!_

He felt a jab against his lash wounds again. Finally, the camel's back broke. He greeted the staff by twisting himself against the chains and grabbing it fiercely in his powerful bear jaws. The wood broke into two like a dry noodle, and the normally jeering crowd took a startled step back. Hei, however, was smiling. He could see that this new protégé was letting himself surrender to his anger and hatred, and this was his first act in converting it into combat.

Several hours later, Chang had grown quiet, exhausted from his earlier struggling. It may've been one small outburst, but – after such a long absence of food and water – he was ashamed by how quickly he was weakening. The chains still stood as taut as ever, not giving the panda the opportunity to so much as bend his elbow.

_Day and night, that chamber was just so bleak and empty. Not a single window around, and the only door was barred most of the time. I couldn't tell when the sun rose and when it set. To this day, I don't even know for sure how long I was in there… Days, weeks, I couldn't tell… But all that time, however long it was, Hei was watching my every move._

At a point in these empty hours, Hei unlocked the door and sauntered in to visit. He carried a cup of water that Chang never noticed. "Well, Master Lionheart, I must congratulate you. You have officially lasted longer than any thick-hided fool before you."

Chang didn't so much as lift his head.

"…You must be thirsty, brother," the cat added calmly.

"Don't call me that," the panda's voice rattled like a snake. "You are _not_ my master, and I am _not_ a brother of anyone in the Alliance. And I will die before I submit to the likes of you." He sealed the announcement by spitting at the hybrid's feet.

Hei said nothing as the panda glared back at the ground, but rather just nonchalantly tilted the cup over and sent the precious liquid splattering on the cold stone floor. Chang's ears perked forward at the life-giving sound, but didn't look up to allow the big cat to see his weakness.

"And so it shall be." The cat turned and calmly started to leave. "…Your family would be proudly moved to tears, Kuang," he stopped to add. "Too bad they can't be here to pick that up for you."

Chang then waited for the soft, departing footsteps to fade into silence. Once he was sure Hei had left, he strained down to try and reach the spilled water on the floor in front of him. His throat was screaming for relief. But his chains held taut, and – try as he might – he never got farther towards the water but a few inches.

His breath rushed out of him in a hard cough as he was forced to give up the fight. He lowered his head at Hei's departing words, and those same two names taunted him again. _Fei and Po…_

He hadn't cried in a long time, let alone since Fei had been killed. But now, as he was hit once more by the loss of his wife and only son, the giant panda finally hung his head and let his tears out.

Hei smirked as he could hear the shuddering sobs echoing off the stone walls. He turned to one of the guard oxen. "Tighten his chains."

A span of time later, the panda had exhausted himself with his sobbing. His throat was so dry that it felt like it was made of cotton, and his voice had all but been lost by now.

He opened his eyes. The water that Hei had spilled in front of him earlier was already a puddle-shaped sheet of ice on the stone floor. How long had it been? Had it been long enough for the water to freeze or was it just that cold?

The panda flexed his fingers in an effort to keep the blood going. His wrists were numb with a dull pain from constant rubbing against the steel manacles – it felt, in fact, like some fur had been rubbed off there. The lash marks on his back still stung viciously, more than likely to be rendered as ugly scars that would compliment his arm. He released another breath, causing his throat to burn from dryness.

He was fading, and he could feel it. His eyes, heavy with fatigue, caught the slightest glimpse of color from the shadows. He lifted his exhausted gaze and found himself locking eyes straight with Hei Long.

Such a surge of revulsion, further driven by burn of hunger and thirst, welled up in his aching body. Right there and then, he refused to die so easily… Not without making such a monster pay and seeing him suffer for it.

The days dragged on and on, and Chang had long since been starved to silence. Eventually, the panda wouldn't even raise his head anymore, and never made so much as a twitch of his finger. A croc or two even had to go in a few times just to confirm he was still alive. Festering in his grief, his hate, his hunger…

The awful, grating shriek of a metal door echoed through the entire chamber, and Chang – heart pounding weakly in his ears – knew immediately who it was. _He_ was back.

"Think of it this way, Chang…" Hei said as he walked into the cell. "If you were to die here and now, what on earth do you think will keep me from returning to the village and killing your son? You left him…with a goose. Need I expand on that?"

The panda didn't even twitch.

Hei's claws sprung forth from his tense, curled fingers. "What kind of superman do you think you are??" he growled, voice demanding an answer and rising to a furious level when he didn't receive it. "Answer me, _COWARD_!!"

Not even an acknowledgment. The enraged cat brandished his claws and took a hard swipe for Chang's face, stopped mere inches from the bear by a voice.

"Commander?" Jin the wolf had approached.

"I'm busy," Hei hissed.

"Someone has found us, sir."

This drew the cat's attention. "…What??"

"We have a visitor outside… Claims himself to be a student of Shifu and the prisoner's brother."

"Brother…" Hei's glance wandered to the beaten bear in front of him. Chang hadn't seemed to even hear the news, as he was still wordlessly kneeling with his head low. A plan started brewing in the marauder's head. "…Let him in."

"Sir?"

"In fact, leave the key by the gate. Tell the guards they may abandon their posts."

"…Y-Yes, Commander." Jin saluted and departed from the cell.

Hei turned once more towards his prisoner, leaning down to whisper to him. "This is your test," he warned. "The only thing between death and your little brat are three words from me to my men. 'Kill the cub'. That's _it_, Kuang."

Although Chang didn't look up or make a sound, Hei saw the big, black paws barely clench into fists, tightened by seeping anger. Hei and his men then quietly slunk out. Several long minutes of vacant silence followed, in which Chang barely made a sound except for a few growling rattles in his throat.

"…Chang?" His brother's whisper barely reached the panda's ear. Kasem slipped up to the barred door between them, and didn't give a second thought to the handy notion of the keys hanging right beside it. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure the coast was clear, he made quick work of unlocking the first door and – with additional grunting and straining – the iron enforced hatches behind it. When the final door had been dropped, Kasem shoved the keys into his pocket and rushed to his brother's side. "Chang! Bro, thank heavens I found you." He glanced over his shoulder for a moment, before quickly working at unlocking the wrist manacles. "Look, I don't know what's going on, but it's too quiet." He loosened the first manacle. "We've got to get out of he—_ere!!"_

The very second both his wrists were free, Chang had lashed his paw out and seized his brother by the throat. His vice like iron, he finally raised his blazing eyes. "It's too late for that, you little rat…" he growled.

"Ch-Chang??" Kasem choked, shocked and struggling to loosen his brother's grip. "I-I'm here to—h-help you!"

"_Help_ me?? You've ruined me!! You have no idea what's happened to me here, do you?!"

Kasem's voice was growing weak from the strangulation. "I-I—"

"No…" Chang's voice was laced with venom. "You have no idea…" His muscles tensed angrily and his grip clenched tighter around his neck. "Not yet."

"Chang, please!" Kasem choked. "If I could've, I would've taken Po in and loved him as my own son, you know that, I j-just didn't know! Don't you see what you're doing to yourself?"

"I know _PERFECTLY WELL_ what I've done to myself!! I've given myself over as a lifelong criminal, I lost _everything_ I ever loved, I couldn't even give Fei a half-decent _burial!!_"

"She got one…" Kasem managed to choke out. "M-Mas-Master Oogway saw to it… She's buried in the c-courtyard by the Whai Nien pavilion…u-under the willow tree."

Chang's rage seemed to subside for a moment, in which his ice blue eyes grew distant and longing.

"I-I'm sorry, Chang…" he didn't notice the true regret in his brother's eyes. "…P-Please come the palace, we'll work something out…!"

"You don't get it, do you?!" The fury quickly came back. "I made a deal with these guys!! I can't go back because _you _decided to up and run like a coward!!"

Kasem staggered, voice barely above a forced rasp by now. "But I…c-came back!" he coughed. "P-Please… W-We can…g-get you out! You a-and P-Po can come and stay with—"

"Po?!" Chang drove his palm harder into his brother's throat. "Po is gone from me forever, Kasem!!"

"Ch-Chang…!"

"I'll never see him again, I can _never_ see my own son again!!"

With a strained growl, Kasem finally decided he had to defend himself and braced his arms against his brother's. Hei and the others watched the two silhouettes snarl and wrestle. Kasem pushed, kicked, shoved, doing everything he could in his gasping, weakening state. But this assault on Chang's already broken body only fueled his fury and tightened his grip. It was because of him that all this happened… It was because of his stupid pranks that they were stranded at the palace and he couldn't be there to protect his beloved wife. _It's all his fault!!_

The next few moments seemed like strangled white noise from outside the cell, in which the two pandas strained and struggled with all their might, braced against each other's shoulders. This position was held until the smaller of the brothers sunk weakly, shakily back onto the floor by his brother's force, grip still iron around his neck.

His very last breath had escaped him.

Chang had stumbled to the floor with him, now on his knees against the stone floor. In that – his last moment of innocence – his paw shakily dropped to Kasem's chest and gripped a fistful of ivory fur. He never looked him in the face, instead hanging his head low.

_You killed him… Your own little brother…_

_You killed him…_

The creak of metal cell doors once more resonated through the mountain, making a swell of hate rise in his chest…

And Chang was dead. The promising, good-hearted warrior that had once struggled to be so faithful to the just cause of the Jade Palace was gone forever. What was left now was nothing short of a cold-blooded monster – and now murderer.

The bear rose to all fours and stood there for a moment, his head lowered but his leering eyes glued towards the door. He panted, making his breath come in white puffs from his mouth and into the frosty air. Kasem lay lifeless at his heels.

Hei quietly came out of the shadows and approached him. He slowly circled the panda, sizing him up and clearly impressed by the formidability he saw in his sheer bulk. The bear, in turn, observed the powerful feline before him. The two massive animals stared at each other for a long moment before Hei made a motion with his paw.

A rhino brought forward a clay basin filled with water and placed it in front of Chang. The parched panda attacked the bowl face-first before it was fully on the ground, not even bothering to use his paws to lift it. He took enormous gulps, getting his face and ears soaked in the process.

Hei smirked as he watched. "Bring him food," he ordered the rhino. "Our new warrior needs to gain his strength."

Chang looked up at the large cat upon hearing this order, water dripping from his chin and eyebrows.

Hei stared at him and – within the moment – the name came to him. "Are you ready to complete your training, Mitsuo Izotakeshi?"

The Ju-long tyro gave a nod. "…I'm ready… Master."

The tigard stepped back to make room for Abhik, who carried out the new recruit's medallion. Izotakeshi remained completely silent and stone-faced as the fateful item was placed around his neck.

For the next several weeks, the panda's training was driven on full-force, rendering him completely blind to what he was turning into. Everything that had ever hinted at his born life as Kuang Chang had been stripped away. Even his outfit had been changed completely to reflect Ju-long's hunger for power – full-length red slacks with an armored belt, studded arm plates, and a solid burgundy vest.

He now fought entire by the Alliance's creed – that anger was more powerful than honor. His claws, which he was once strictly forbidden to use in combat, soon became his most primary and dangerous weapon.

Months later, however, Hei Long was growing suspicious. He frowned as he watched their new recruit wheel on his unsuspecting gorilla opponent and bring him to the ground with a tiger claw strike. It had been quite impressive, indeed… Too impressive for the leader's comfort.

His adversary on the ground, Izo stepped back in ready stance with a growl. Hei stepped forward and started to put a congratulatory paw on the panda's shoulder, but nearly got his face clawed off when he spun on him. He was quick enough to catch him by the wrist, and they exchanged a harsh glare. "Don't bite the hand that feeds ya, rookie," the cat advised bitterly.

Izo's glare didn't melt – commander or not, there was no law saying he had to like the guy.

"News from the west, Commander! You won't believe it!" Abhik swung into view on a nearby cypress tree. "One of the students up at the Jade Palace has snapped and he's tearin' the Valley of Peace to…well, pieces! It's chaos down there!"

"…Hmm…" A smile crept across Hei's features. "A win-win situation, eh?"

"You want the troops and I should drop in for a visit?"

"Ah, why spoil the fun?" Hei shrugged. "Let's all go, I think we deserve a party." He turned and called to his followers. "Suit up, ladies, let's ride!!"

Only moments later, Hei was leading the rush into the Valley. Izo was immediately conscious of the total anarchy of the village, amidst the running about and screaming. The chaos allowed Ju-long to run in without detection and add to the discord. Hei gave the orders to loot and attack, and the troops split up.

Now, with his identity of a heartless warrior, Izotakeshi charged in on all fours into the first house he saw and laid into his current target of a family of tigers. He was first intercepted by the male, who met him halfway in his pounce. The cat was quickly pinned to the wall by his opponent's heavier mass.

A little tiger cub stared in horror at the sight from her mother's arms, only distracted when the adult female hid her behind a few fallen planks and charged at Izo to help her mate.

The kitten gawked out at the ferocious scene in fearful awe of the incensed fight that ensued. Yet, at the sight of her parents collapsing at the bandit's force and the sounds of their screams, she covered her eyes and ducked back behind the rubble, whimpering.

Suddenly, abrupt silence.

The burly panda stared down at his two most recent victims and snorted. Still, his nose twitched. He was well aware he wasn't alone in the room. He turned and sniffed, nose pointing him towards a pile of wrecked wood. Growl rattling in his throat, he crept over and sniffed about. The trembling tiger kitten remained hidden behind the plank, out of sight but not out of scent. He was but inches away now…

It was by a sudden blare of Abhik's ram horn that the kitten's life was spared. Each Ju-longer realized this as the cue to fall back by the commander's order, and none of them dared to ignore it. They all immediately retreated back towards the mountains.

Izotakeshi sprinted through the destruction and chaos of the Valley to meet his brothers-in-arms, avoiding or destroying anything in his way. He was suddenly intercepted, however, when a flurry of fur bolted right across his path and the two animals collided. Both jumped to their feet and faced each other with a challenging growl…and it certainly wasn't who Izo expected to see. The figure, an amber-eyed snow leopard wearing purple pants and a studded belt, flattened his ears and arched his neck furiously.

The panda was briefly stunned. He knew this snow leopard…didn't he? If he did, it must've not been good terms – for the moment he saw him, the leopard gave a bloodcurdling snarl and pounced. Izo's questioning gaze was quickly overcome by the call to fight, and he met Tai Lung with a ready stance. A fierce scrap quickly ensued in which bear and leopard scratched and snapped and managed to leave a few bruises on each other before Abhik's horn blew again. Izo finally managed to get away from his foe with another fierce swipe across the face. He wasn't sure who had won, as he dashed off for the mountains and the leopard sprinted towards the Jade Palace.

He hadn't even realized that, in his brief battle with Tai Lung, he had allowed just enough time for a certain goose to slip away to safety with a small, fuzzy, black-and-white bundle secured in his arms.

Just one glance at the old, rickety house he had once shared with his wife and son was all it took. Of all of the things that had been purged from his heart and mind since his instigation, Fei and Po were the very last glimmers of light left. Izo lay on his mat that night at Ju-long's base camp, the ragged blanket to his shoulders and eyes to the floor. For the first in a long time, his thoughts returned to his son.

There was no way his little Po could've survived a full-on attack like that. His sweet little cub, robbed of his life when it had hardly begun. The only comfort the battered panda had left to cling onto was that he was safe from all harm again, safe in his mother's arms in painless paradise. He was so lost in his torment that he was completely oblivious to the leering form stalking him in the shadows.

Hei's wariness had become too much for him to ignore. This new protégé to the Alliance was growing far too powerful, far too fast…and the tigard knew all too well that this could be a threat to his position. He'd worked too hard for too long to let himself be overthrown by a greenhorn.

Here now in the dead of night, when only the dusty winds in the wood could be heard through the dark, he knew what had to be done. Like he was stalking a lamb, he stepped quietly into the room on all fours and eyed his victim. His eyes flashed and his ears flattened against his head, and he barely made a sound. He weaved between the rays of pearly moonlight seeping through the scattered cracks of the roof.

The training he had received both before and after his initiation into the alliance kicking in, Izo sensed a shift in the air behind him. He braced himself and narrowed his eyes, waiting for his moment.

Nearly every warrior in the camp was jolted from their sleep from a pair of piercing snarls. They were rendered stunned beyond belief when they noticed the panda and tigard in a furious blur, biting and clawing and attempting to shred each other to pieces. And neither of them seemed willing to back down for a second. The hatred was mutual – Izo was threatening Hei's position and Hei had robbed the panda of his family. Combat escalated furiously as Hei managed to lock his jaws around Izo's neck and fling him across the ground. The panda spun around and met him halfway, both slamming into the other's chest with explosive force.

The moonlight provided the only illumination as the combatants went barreling across the floor in their feral clash, snapping and clawing, literally at each other's throats. By now, they had awakened the entire camp up and had taken the bedlam outside. The sandy dunes now a stage, everyone could only gawk at the horror before them.

His claws fully extended, Hei threw his opponent to the floor by a commanding paw against the throat. Izo couldn't tell where he was, but the sensation of claws scraping against his face and the warm trickle of blood followed by the sudden burn of sand seeping in fueled him on, sending his fangs clamping hard onto the cat's paw. He quickly rolled onto his stomach to fling Hei off, struck with a brief moment of terror when he realized it instead allowed an opening for the tigard to really strike where it hurts. He leapt on the panda's back, biting him hard on the neck and not letting go. His razor like claws slashed at Izo's shoulders and sides until the bear was finally able to reach back and yank him off. Both animals crashed to the ground, almost careening over the rocky cliff they had backed themselves into.

Izo couldn't hold back a cry of agony as he hit the sand, as Hei had surely gotten at least a mouthful of fur when he'd been pulled off. The wind knocked straight out of him for the moment, the panda had to stop and catch his breath.

Now Hei was stalking a wide perimeter around his victim on all fours, low growls rattling in his throat. Izo looked up painfully and took a moment to assess the situation – here he was the ideal prey, injured, cornered against a potentially lethal fall. He knew enough to sense that his opponent was coming in for the kill. This was confirmed when Hei barreled right for him and leapt with a piercing, catlike shriek.

Despite the searing pain in his side, Izo reared with a ferocious snarl, raising his paws into the air and throwing his weight towards the hybrid cat. Hei was abruptly floored when he felt Izo's powerful paw against his head and jaws gripping him by the scruff. The bear gave a growl like none other he had uttered before, ice blue eyes flashing with hatred. He braced his back legs, arched his neck and flung the big cat over the precipice with all of his might. In the course of the throw, his bloody shoulder slammed painfully into the rocky edge and forced out a snarl.

Hei went bouncing and barrel-rolling down the incline like a rag doll, crashing into the ground straight on his arm. After writhing in pain for a moment, Izo managed to pull himself over to look down at his opponent. He watched his pained grimace, his shaky stagger as he pushed himself up on all fours, stumbling as he did so.

It was at that moment that the panda realized he was being watched, and he glanced back at the several shocked faces behind him. He was, admittedly, a little shocked himself…but he couldn't let them see that. Stone-faced again, he shakily but resolutely pushed himself to his feet again. The hoary glow of the moonlight highlighted every muscle of the bear's frame, every cloud of breath that escaped from his throat and snout. He suddenly appeared a king of his mountain, his glare challenging anyone else who dared come at him.

Abhik was the first to move, quickly folding his hands in a salute and dropping to one knee before the panda. "Kneel to your commander, you ship rats!!" he boomed, and the command was quickly obeyed by each and every follower there.

Except for Hei Long, who stood below with his injured arm off the ground, seething up at the panda he would soon yet repay this favor.

------

Po could do nothing but gawk as his father ended the story. By now, it was past dark and Izo had built a fire to fend off the biting cold. "They explained it later," he added, "that if any soldier met the appointed Commander in combat and defeated him, the position was instantly his. Over the years, I just got better, and to this day I'm undefeated."

"No one's ever tried to fight you?"

"Hei did a couple of times early on… He eventually just seemed to give it up. Only reason I've been keeping him around is because he's the finest archer in China. But you didn't hear that from me."

"Ow!!" Po suddenly gave a jerk as he leaned a little too hard on his bad paw and clutched it.

His father's ears tilted forward. "What'd you do to yourself, cub?"

"Ah…scraped it up going up a cliff." Po observed the wound, where blood was beginning to seep a bit through the bandage.

"…Let me see."

"Huh?"

"I said let me see," Izo reached into a cloth pouch on his belt and pulled out a tiny flask of liquid. He edged forward, and Po hesitantly held out his paw. Once his father bit the cork off, Po watched him pour a brownish liquid on the wound and was instantly conscious of a biting pain.

"OW—!" he yelped and started to pull his paw away. Then, he stopped. If was as if the pain just melted off instantly. Opening his eyes, he stared down at the odd liquid. "…What the heck is that stuff, miracle juice??"

Izo seemed amused. "It's called Dragon's Blood. Resin from the berries of the _Daemonorops_."

"The wha?"

The elder panda smirked. "Never been to India, Dragon Warrior?"

"Uhhhh…"

"It's a palm from the Indian archipelago."

"You've been to India?"

"I've been everywhere between Maldives and the Sea of Okhotsk, kid… You could say I, uh…get around."

_Criminals usually do_, remarked the voice in Po's head. _So they can escape the law._

_Shut up_, Po reprimanded.

_Get out of there, _the voice continued. _What's gonna happen if Shifu and the others come looking for you? You gonna take that risk? Get. Out. NOW._

Izo was still tending to his son's paw. "I don't care what they say in the Valley, the world outside has got stories all its own. The things I've seen—"

Po quickly pulled his paw away. "Uh - look, I, uh…I-I gotta go. I-I wanna hear more, but the others are gonna come looking for me if I'm not back at the camp soon."

"…Well, I can be right here later tonight," the elder panda suggested.

Po did a slight double take. Izo _wanted_ him there?

"Come around after everyone's asleep."

"…Um… I-I don't know… It takes a body weight of zero to sneak past Shifu's radar…"

Izo shrugged. "Whatever you choose, cub, I'm not going anywhere tonight."

Po paused, looking back at his estranged father. "…Yeah," he smiled a bit. "Well…good night, Mr. Izotakeshi…uh…Dad."

"See ya, rook."

_Was that sincere or deriding? _Po wasn't sure as he headed back for the village. But at this moment, he didn't really care. It seemed he'd _finally _connected to his father, and knew now just what he had done for him over the years… He'd practically saved his life. No, not practically. He _had_ saved his life. Twice! The young Dragon Warrior couldn't help but smile to himself.

Up on the rocks above, Hei watched the pandas part ways. His tail twitched back and forth thoughtfully, pondering on what he had just seen. A slight growl rolled through the feline's throat. Then, with all the swiftness and silence of a ghost, he leapt off into the night.


	14. Who's Suspicious?

_Well, this only got up so quick because it was short. And it's a bit of a ride to my Tuesday/Thursday class this semester. Not much to say except that in the next chapter, things are going to get ugly._

_Izotakeshi, Hei Long, Chang, Abhik, Jin (c) me!!_

_All other characters (c) Dreamworks Animation_

_Chapter 14: Who's Suspicious?_

Making his way back towards the camp, Po took another look at his paw. There were still general scratch marks that might or might not become scars, but it was as if the pain had never been there. And he'd been surprised that _Tigress_ was a nurse!

Rounding the corner into camp, he looked up to the sight of the Five seemingly building another fire, cooking dinner, and rolling their bed mats out – as if they'd just unpacked them. "Po!" Crane noticed his comrade. "Where've you been?"

The panda shrugged. "Oh, uh… Around. You know…"

"Around?" We've already lost a whole day of travel and Master Shifu's not going to be very—"

"_Panda_!" A familiar voice snapped. He turned and spotted the quite irritated red panda storming over, a wobble still in his step from recovery. "Where have you been?!" Shifu demanded.

What was Po supposed to tell him? _I ran into my long-lost father and the guy we're trying to arrest and I let him spill his every secret to me and I let him go and I'm sneaking off to see him again tonight and oh, by the way, he rightfully hates your guts!_

"….A-Around," was again the panda's enlightened answer.

Shifu's ears flattened irately against his head. "Did we or did we not tell you that we'd be moving on tonight?"

"_If_ you were feeling better," Po clarified.

"Look at me," Shifu glared. "I am moving perfectly, and the doctor gave us permission to continue travel today."

…_Okay…three points for Shifu._

"Everything got packed and ready, however, we could not continue because a certain student of mine frolicked off. In fact, the dishes will be waiting for him tonight."

"I'm here now! I mean, you didn't have to pack up—"

"Are you mad, Panda?! We can't carry on at this hour, it's below freezing out there! We will simply have to leave in the morning and _hope_ that Ju-long is not destroying the Imperial Palace before breakfast! Now _sit!!_"

Po obediently scurried over to join his comrades for dinner. _Yeesh, tempramento!!_ He turned to the already-cooking pot stickers on the fire and proceeded to season them the way he saw fit. _Don't get too mad, _he reminded himself. _He's probably still a little sick, not in the right mind…_

Dinner was disturbingly quiet – at least until the very end, when Shifu broke the silence with a masterly air that suddenly annoyed Po. "Well, despite this unfortunate hiccup," he frowned. "We may still yet make good time tomorrow. If we time it right, we can catch Ju-long at their base."

"…What, you mean…an ambush?" Po stared at him.

"In the cover of the early morning mist," the master clarified. Each of his students gave an understanding nod, all except for the panda.

Sure, Po knew that they needed to get the sword back. He also now knew about Shifu's little vendetta against Ju-long and why he wanted to get back at the guys…but what did Izotakeshi have to do with that? Captain Koto's murder was over 60 years ago, but Izo had only been commander about 20 years. The guys responsible for that had been long dead, why couldn't Shifu just let that go? He always taught on not being brash about things like this, that seeking revenge was often petty. Couldn't he just work out some arrangement? Izo wasn't _completely_ evil… He couldn't be. Po owed him his life now…

"Master, I-I think you're acting a little too hastily here," the panda pointed out. "I mean, wouldn't an ambush be kinda…risky?"

Shifu raised an eyebrow. "Catching Ju-long off-guard is the only way of having any kind of immediate hold over them."

"Y-Yeah, but…" Po searched for any good reason he could find. Maybe he'd caught Izo in a rare, agreeable mood at the mango tree… So who's to say the others didn't have the same moments? "…Maybe if we're really careful, a-and we send forward a messenger… Uh, me! A-And, you know, we don't _need _to have any heads rolling just to solve a little problem like, may-maybe I can convince them to come to some agreement so we have the sword and they're free to go on their way?" He gave a cheesy grin. "You always say I have the gift of persuasion!"

"That would be an empty attempt, Po."

The panda's shoulders slumped. Quick to act _and_ quick-to-answer. _GAH, he's so stubborn! _Growing irritated, he tried to think of something else. Shifu _knew_ that was Chang under the Ju-long garb…and if he had valued and loved him like any other student, he would be willing to help him. More than anything, he wanted Shifu to give his dad the second chance he needed.

He'd give his master a chance…one chance to tell him the truth. "How would you know?" he challenged.

The red panda seemed irked by this. "…I have had to face them several times throughout my life. I know who they are, what they exist for, and I know that they have absolute no concept of the value of life, even that of a child's. People who have no defense of their own have suffered under Izotakeshi in a number too great for us to ignore. Some of the bravest men in the world have lost their lives."

Po frowned bitterly. Chance offered and blown. "…So that's it, huh? You're going to blame Izo for what some rhino guy did to _your_ dad sixty years ago?"

…_Ping_, came the sound of the proverbial pin hitting the ground. The Five just sat with their mouths hanging open, in a complete state of shock.

Shifu didn't change his expression or even look at him at first.

"No one's born evil, you've said that yourself!" Po continued. "You're always doing your kick-butt first, ask questions later routine, how do we know we can't help these guys? Isn't that why Master Oogway invented kung fu? To protect people, to _help_ people??"

Shifu sent him a hard look. "They do not _want_ our help," he growled. His tone grew threatening. "Now listen to me, Panda. You're not a master yet, and even if you were one, I am still _your_ master and _WILL_ be regarded as such," he snapped, ears flattened furiously.

Sighing, Po chucked his chopsticks into his bowl and got up. "Whatever…" he muttered.

"_Panda_," his stubby ears inadvertently flattened at that nickname. "I would watch your tongue if I were you. And the next time you choose to stall progress, do not expect everyone to wait up for you again."

"Yes, Master," Po forced out tersely. He shuffled over to the kettle, where Viper had started some boiling water. Mere moments later, the Grandmaster heard the panda approach again. "Your tea, Master," he muttered, placing a cup of the wild cherry bark tea – Shifu's prescribed medicine – next to his master.

Shifu did nothing more but glance at the cup before begrudgingly taking it.

------

Hei Long leaped through branches and between rocks until he reached the Ju-long camp. The troops that he once led were scattered throughout the site around campfires, eating, training, and sharpening their weapons. All eyes turned towards the archer as he leapt down to the ground and stood with arms masterfully behind his back. "Good evening, ladies." He took a leering gaze around. "Well, now that the commander doesn't seem to be around…do I have anymore takers…?"

Crickets.

"Oh, I forgot…" Hei lowered an eyebrow. "You're all still namby-pambies."

"You know the punishment for mutiny!" Abhik glared. "Maybe you don't mind execution, but we're not the idiots you say we are."

"Yeah, remember what the Commander did to Som when he tried to mutiny?" a boar pointed out. "Turned the tables right on the old guy!"

"Well, that's because Som let himself get caught," Hei retorted. "And he mutinied _alone_. Look, about the cub? I was _right_. Our dear commander couldn't seem to help himself. And now the Dragon Warrior knows everything."

"…So?" Jin the wolf shrugged.

"_So_ your commander, the man we trust to keep us clear of the law's grip, is turning into a soft molasses _cookie_ is what!"

"And here we go again," Abhik rolled his eyes. "You're _always_ trying to find something to pin on the Commander, Hei, and one of these days, he _will_ catch you."

"That, I'm not worried about," came the nonchalant reply. "You all just watch – Commander Izotakeshi is not the man he used to be. Now more than ever, a full-scale mutiny will be to our advantage. And if he keeps softening up like this, it won't be hard to coax him down from his throne."

Jin wasn't fully convinced. "Uh-huh." He picked up his chopsticks. "And if he doesn't?"

Hei sent him a smirk and unsheathed his claws. Then, with a sudden blood-curtling roar, he wheeled on Jin and thrust his paw straight into the wolf's unarmored chest, landing a pulverizing strike that made the canine warrior yelp and collapse to the ground.

It didn't take a genius to know that the strike had killed him on contact. Hei cast a glance at his now gawking comrades.

"Oops… Sorry, Commander."

The feline hybrid then flexed his fingers and carelessly walked away.

------

As a gift from the townsfolk, Shifu and his students had received three fine canvas tents, designed to keep the night-born cold and wind at bay. The warriors all had to agree it was much better than waking up under a layer of snow.

In the tent he shared with Crane, Po was still wide awake. He laid with his eyes and nose poking up over his folded arms, staring thoughtfully at the candle before him. Brow furrowing, he sighed and pondered hard.

Then, like he did every night, he blew out the flame…yet didn't lay down his head. He instead quietly slipped on his coat and deftly crept out of the makeshift tent. He looked around. Crane, who had taken the other side of the tent, was still asleep with his head tucked under his good wing and his hat placed neatly at his feet. A careful check confirmed he hadn't awakened anyone else, and Po proceeded to sneak across the camp. Lucky for him, snow barely made any noise compared to wooden planks.

But if there was one thing that should've been installed in his brain as a student by now, it was that there was no way past his master's supersonic hearing under any circumstances.

A single footstep and a twitch of the red panda's ear was all it took. Shifu was up in a second, peeking out of his own tent. As his student slipped away from camp, Shifu carefully grabbed Oogway's staff and followed Po a good distance behind.

_What is he up to?_

_**TBC…**_


	15. Po's Massively BIG Mistake

_Fair warning again, things are going to get ugly in this chapter... Enjoy!_

_Izotakeshi, Chang, Fei (c) me!!_

_All other characters (c) Dreamworks Animation_

_Chapter 15: Po's Massively BIG Mistake_

"Guys! Hey!" Viper stuck her head into Mantis and Monkey's tent. "Wake up! Something's wrong!"

"Whaaaaat?" Mantis whined and rolled over.

"Po and Shifu are gone! Tigress just got a glimpse of them leaving, they didn't even take a lamp or anything!"

"What's weird about that?" Monkey rubbed his eyes. "Maybe they like walking in complete and utter blackness."

"Po's always snoring his head off at this hour!" Viper's snout wrinkled worriedly. "And Master Shifu shouldn't be out in the cold this time of night, you know he's still recovering! Tigress and I are going out to find them and we need your guys' help."

"Whyyyyy?" Mantis whined again.

"I've just got a really weird feeling about this… Something isn't right at all. Come on!"

"Nooooo…"

"Mantis!!"

"Nyeh! Okaaaaay…"

Back out at the old mango tree, Izo and Po had gotten another fire started. The two pandas were currently standing across from each other, the younger learning the art of close-quarter combat.

"All right," Izo took a careful grip of Po's arms. "Now, watch." He moved the young panda's arms in a slow, parallel, cycling motion. "It isn't a slap fight, you should have complete control of your paws. Remember they are your primary weapon."

Po nodded, taking in the lesson.

"In any combat situation, cub, you want to remain in full control. Then you will have the upper hand of the fight and your opponents will stay below you where they belong. And be sure to move fast."

Suddenly, to Po's surprise, the elder panda stepped back and swung his fists up in fighting position. The cub winced and braced as they came at him, yet all he felt was the air whizzing by his face while Izo was demonstrating the rapid, cycling string of punches mere inches from his face.

His father smirked before lowering his fists. "All right, you try. Start out slow…"

Biting his lip, Po did what he was told, keeping his arms loose as he had been instructed. When it seemed his cycling motion was decent enough, he sped up a little. "Like this?"

"Eh, good enough, just don't—"

Somewhere in there, Po felt the accidental contact between his fist and his father's nose – enough to make the elder reel back a little.

_Ohh, crud, now you've done it…_

"Ah—! Sorr-_y!!_" Po abruptly yelped when he found himself under the scarred panda's arm in a headlock. "Heyyy!!" his voice gained pitch. His old man could move _fast!_

"What?" Izo frowned, then smirked "Shifu didn't train you for this?"

"Um…"

"You _are_ the Dragon Warrior, ain't ya?"

It slowly began to dawn on Po that this might've been his father's own method of…playing? Whatever it was, it only further widened the smile on the young panda's face as he struggled to get free. "You cheated, old man!"

His father smirked and shrugged, not letting up his grip. "That's kinda my métier, cub."

"Leg'goooo!"

Izo did, quite abruptly, which sent the boy stumbling onto his haunches in the snow. "Man…" Po pouted. His ears then lifted up at a sound he never thought he'd hear – his father's laugh.

The elder panda wandered over to the mango tree, where his robe and hat hung on a branch. "How you became the Dragon Warrior, cub, is beyond me," he chuckled, slipping the robe on – as he had like earlier that day, been training in his slacks alone. "What, did you scare Shifu into thinking you'd sit on 'im?"

Po couldn't help but again pout a little at that. Gaining Shifu's approval and belief back then had been hard work…and now that he thought back on it, he shuddered at remembering his little joyride the first time through the obstacle course. At the moment, he'd just been trying to not make much of a fuss through it – failing blatantly. The soreness and headaches didn't come until later.

Izo looked the cub over. "…That was a joke."

"I get it," Po forced a cheesy grin. He watched his father turn back towards the tree and put on his hat. After a moment of awkward silence, a smirk spread across the younger panda's face. He tiptoed over as quietly as he could while his father was tying off his black silk belt around his waist.

"…_Think fast!!_" Po pounced, trying to snatch his coolie hat. Two seconds later, his head was back under Izo's arm. "Oh, come _on_, man, this isn't right!!" he yelled, though he was laughing, and tried to worm his way free.

Izo grappled with him. "Come on, Dragon Warrior, how you gonna get outta this one?" he grinned.

"Are you kidding me? I don't think a bandit will sneak attack a headlock anytime soon, Dad!"

"Ehh, you never kn—"

"_IZO!!!_"

The furious cry quickly made the two pandas jolt. Izo turned just in time to see a streak of fur charge straight at him. The very next moment, a weight contacted like a rock with his stomach and the back of his head smacked into the snow.

"D-Dad?!?!" Po scrambled and rolled onto his stomach, shocked and horrified to see Shifu and Izo wrestling violently and kicking up snow in their skirmish. The old master had his former student pinned ruthlessly on his back, and Izo was snarling with open mouth and bared canines as he scratched and tried to throw his opponent off. It was at this point that the Five also showed up and were immediately frozen in their tracks at the sight.

"What are you doing?!" Po yelled, standing and watching helplessly as his master lit into the elder panda. And, to his horror, the Five's shock didn't last for long. Now all of them, Po's most trusted companions, were ambushing his father. "H-HEY!!"

With six of the most powerful warriors in China saddling him to the ground, Izo threw his weight around with all his might, snarling savagely and leaping about wildly like a caged animal. The Dragon Warrior stood transfixed, a look of terror across his face at the feral display. His dad had to have been so freaked out, he wasn't trying to start a fight in the first place!

Just then, in an explosion of force that shocked them all, Izo reared up with a deafening snarl and reached his paws back, grabbing both Tigress and Monkey and flinging them off his back. He then bounced back on all fours and whipped his neck back, seizing Crane from mid-air and throwing him off. He both foiled Viper's attempt to wrap around his throat and Mantis's pounce with a hard swipe of his mighty paw. Then, with a blaze in his eyes and the fur on his back standing on end, he lurched back into the snow and flung Shifu off of his neck with what very closely resembled a roar.

Disoriented by his lingering condition, Shifu couldn't quite land on his feet like he normally did. Nonetheless, he was back up in seconds, still intent to finish this fight. This time, Izo stood poised with his dagger brandished threateningly, a snarl rattling from his throat.

Shifu growled and charged for the Ju-long leader. But, at that, moment, he was abruptly interrupted by a furry mass colliding into him from behind.

"_Don't!!_"

Everyone gave a collective gasp as Po barreled forward on all fours and crashed into Shifu with every bit of his weight. Master and student tumbled head over heels across the ground and landed with Po pinning Shifu to the snow, enough so that he could catch the old red panda's attention.

"Knock it _off_, he wasn't doing anything—!!!"

His master was in absolutely no mood, and currently furious by his student's disobedience and audacity as of late. Without even a commanding word, he shoved Po aside and leapt back on his feet, growling and taking another pounce for Izo.

"Hey—!!" Po reached out and grabbed his master by the foot. "St-Stop!!"

"Let GO, Panda!!" Shifu demanded furiously, making another mighty struggle to get free.

"NO!!" Po barked right back, gripping both legs. "Would you just _listen_ to me!!!"

Shifu snarled and kicked his student in the face, a last-resort effort to break free. Po was fazed for just a second, but the panda quickly lashed back. This time, he caught Shifu by the waist as the master was charging again for Izo. The more Shifu struggled and fought, the more desperate and angry Po got. He was now using all the bear muscle he could pull out to hold the red panda back.

It was hard to read Izotakeshi's expression as he watched the fight for a moment, before an indifferent frown came across his features. Brow furrowing, he slowly stepped back and, with a sweep of his robe around his shoulders, slunk off without notice.

Oblivious to his father's leave, Po was still trying his very hardest to keep Shifu at bay. He had instantly adapted Izotakeshi's technique of brute strength and managed to lock his large arm around his master's neck. _Stay in control of the situation,_ he reminded himself. He was now practically on top of Shifu, who was snarling and squirming and fighting with all his might to get free, coughing and struggling in short breaths.

_Keep him down, keep him busy, don't let go, don't let go! If you let him go, he's gonna kill Dad! He wouldn't hesitate to, either! Why'd he have to have them fix that wall right there and then rather than just let them go home for the night?! Then Dad might've been able to be home soon enough to protect Mom!!_

_Hold him down!_

_In fact, if it wasn't for Shifu, I might actually still have a mom and a dad who doesn't have a life sentence and dozen scars from getting mangled by the single most deadly organization in the known universe! No wonder Tai Lung hated him!_

_Hold him down! _He held on tighter, eyes jammed shut.

"Po!!!" The Five shouted simultaneously, again stiff on the spot in horror when they saw what he was doing.

"Po, _STOP!!_" Tigress roared, both terror and fury braided into her cry. "You're going to kill him!!!" The panda didn't even hear them, didn't even realize Shifu was straining and gasping for breath.

_Just look at where Shifu got _him_! Tai had to spend 20 years in prison and my dad had to suffer a lifetime of imprisonment! And for TWENTY YEARS, I never knew who I was!!_

"_PO!!!!_" Tigress gave an earth-shattering cry and sent her paw careening into the panda's chest with all the force she could muster in her fury. At the very same moment, Shifu managed to shoot his arm out, hitting his student hard in the throat with a fast series of nerve strikes.

Po gave a startled yelp as every muscle in his body suddenly and inadvertently tensed and he collapsed to the ground on his stomach. Shifu's eyes grew wide as he drew in the deepest gasp of his life and stumbled to the ground on his hands and knees, freed of the panda's chokehold.

The silence that followed was deafening, as if a hurricane had just been yanked out of the sky. Out of breath, Shifu stumbled back onto his haunches and coughed, putting a paw to his abused throat. He was instantly surrounded by his concerned students, all of them questioning if he was all right. He quietly nodded and stared at the young panda.

This scene was all too familiar… So familiar that it made the red panda sick to his stomach. Down on his knees without breath, staring at the fallen figure before him of a student he had come to love with his life but, in the end, had all but backhanded him in the face and turned on him.

The cub had come a long way since he'd been named Dragon Warrior. He had become wiser in a way. Shifu could see in so many ways that he was Chang's cub. Will wasn't one of them…at least so Shifu had thought. Po had seemed to had such a stronger will, a truer soul, not so susceptible to something he knew was wrong. And for all his fighting skill and force he put into his training, he hardly did anything out of sheer malice. He only fought against those who threatened his fellow villagers, and had a true and good heart.

Shifu had also initially thought the same of Tai Lung.

Hardening his heart the best he could, the master rose to his feet and gathered his thoughts. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, then opened them again to look at his other students. "Take him back to the camp and revive him," he ordered quietly. "And all of you, get some sleep. I'll…meet up with you there soon."

"You need rest as well, Master…" Viper squirmed when she remembered what she had just witnessed. "…E-Especially…now…"

"I will… I'm…I'm going to go meditate."

_Translation: Leave me alone. _The Five sensed this and quietly backed away. The torpid Po was pulled onto a branch and dragged off towards camp. As they left, Shifu turned back towards the mango tree and stared out across the frozen landscape. He closed his eyes.

Now came the part of his new responsibilities as Grandmaster that he wished with everything that he could change… He didn't want to do it to Po, the boy who had changed his life and who had realized the same cubbish vigor and sheer love for kung fu that Shifu had almost forgotten. Because he had been chosen as the Dragon Warrior…because they were forced to join forces and break their backs for each other while training in the Wudang Mountains, they both had changed more than they could've ever imagined…

And now Po had chosen to throw all of that away, just when he was about to be named a man and master. He had committed the worst sin of any martial arts. It wasn't just disrespect – it was a backhanded insult to the one who had essentially adopted him as his own. The red panda flattened his ears. Once more, he had allowed his feelings to take him over and he had dared to let himself love another student as a son. And once more, that student had turned from him… And now, according to the very code of kung fu…this specific crime was only punishable by expulsion as a student of both his master and the Jade Palace.

In sheer agony and frustration, Shifu abruptly spun around with a snarl and careened his fist into the old tree trunk, punching a hole clean into it.

What was this little gift of his to condemn the most deserving of his young warriors, his _children_, to disaster?!

_**TBC…**_


	16. Traitor

_Izotakeshi, Chang, Hei Long (c) me!_

_All other characters (c) Dreamworks Animation_

_Chapter 16: Traitor_

He first became aware of a surge like an electric shock racking through his arms, legs, and head. He then realized that his arms were moving and his mouth was open in a gasp. His eyes instantly opened to stare at Mantis standing on his chest and staring at him.

"Augh!" Po held his throat and chest, aching all over as he sat up. "What…?" he looked up and blinked a couple of times, just now noticing the remainder of the Five. A long, awkward silence followed in which they stared at the panda incredulously, and Po took a look around. They were right back at camp, under a small overhang of rock. "Guys? Where…?" He rubbed his throat again, and it slowly began coming back to him. He remembered being there with his dad, seeing him and Shifu fight, trying to keep his master at bay, and then a sudden shock making him black out.

So that explained why the Five looked so stunned and freaked out.

"…All right," he admitted, dragging a paw over his face. "I know what that looked like, but it really…" The panda let out a breath. He had to say it. "…Okay, guys, look… Izotakeshi, h-he's my dad. My _real_ dad. I-I know it sounds crazy, but back when I was a cub, Hei Long killed my mother and demanded that Dad joined them. A-And Dad only did that because he was trying to protect me! He didn't want to get caught up with these guys, he's just suffered a lot more than he could take, s-so we have to help him!" _There, I said it!_

He then observed his stoic companions for a moment. He would've expected at least a little shock from them at the news…yet none came. It then dawned on Po.

"…Shifu told you, didn't he? You guys…knew this already…"

"Not until after you defeated Tai Lung…" Crane clarified.

"Then it made more sense how it was you learned kung fu so quickly," Mantis added.

"…Great… So I was the only one to _not_ know, then." Po lowered an irritated eyebrow.

All this time, Tigress had been the only one not to speak. She looked too mad. No, mad didn't quite describe it… Enraged was more the word. Or livid. Or seething. Or…dare he jest… Furious. If she finally would speak – and she did – everyone knew that all heck was going to break loose.

"I'd like to have a word with him alone, if I may," was all that came out of her mouth.

Though he kept his frustrated countenance, Po couldn't keep his eyes from widening a little. _I…am going to die._

Mantis wasn't sure which he'd need to prepare: the acupuncture needles or a funeral pyre once this talk was over. "…Nice knowin' ya, Pokey," he muttered to the panda before taking his hasty leave with the others.

_Don't leave me with her! _Po shifted and stared at the ground when he felt Tigress turn towards him. She looked as if she was yearning to just swipe at the panda, leave a few claw marks on his face, and be done with it. By this point, Po didn't care.

"…I withhold and live by every moral of self control been taught to me by my master…" Her ears flattened, "…but I have a solid mind to claw your _face_ off, Dragon Warrior."

"Then do it."

"Master Shifu was trying to protect you back there," her voice held an eerie calm.

"Protect me from what? There was nothing to protect me from, Izo wasn't attacking me, we were just messing around! He was teaching me!"

"All the worse, you idiot." Her voice rose a little. "Why do you _think_ he was training you?"

"Because he's my dad!"

"Because he's a manipulative criminal! Po, _look_ at what he's done! Whole villages don't exist because of him! You think just because he's found you, he's going to want to change? You think that's an excuse to trust him after what he's done?"

"Well, maybe he—"

"He's _dangerous_, Po! He could be leading you into a trap!"

Now the panda was getting mad. "Don't you think that'd he'd have killed me by now if he had wanted? You guys just _want_ him to be bad! How do you know what he's done, huh? Do you just believe everything Shifu tells you or are you just assuming?"

And immediately, he could tell he had seriously tweaked a nerve. At first, Tigress's eyes had widened a little in a mix of incense and shock. And before Po had registered the weight of what he'd said, they were quickly reduced to slits.

"…I was there, Po. And I recall everything. _Every_ little detail that I've somehow been cursed to remember all my life. When Tai Lung rampaged on the Valley, he was charged with the crimes of _your_ father and the rest of the Alliance in addition to his own. I'm not the one for you to ask what I know about him, Po. When you're four years old and you watch someone slaughter your only protection right there in front of you, it leaves an impact. Had he had the opportunity, I guarantee he would've killed me too."

After the initial shock of the story, Po shook himself off and furrowed his brow. "Y-You…don't know that! I-I'm sorry about what happened to your parents, b-but…" The panda treaded carefully. "…Believe me, I _really _am sorry…b-but Dad wasn't in his right mind when it happened, you c-can't blame him!"

"That's pure garbage and you know it," she hissed.

"L-Look…" he tried to not get his fur ruffled, instead changing his tactic. "Nobody has to get hurt here… I-I have an idea, but I need help. Your help, if I can get it. I think there might be a way to just talk things through with Dad. A-And he'll listen to me, I'm sure of it! Us representing the Jade Palace as students, we could make it work, a-and Shifu's still too unstable to fight anywa—"

"You don't get it, do you?" Tigress's ears flattened, arms crossed across her chest. "You have no concept of the repercussions here."

The panda's face now held blank confusion. He blinked, brow furrowing in a questionable crease.

"You turned on your own master, Po. You betrayed him and almost _killed_ him to protect his enemy. Do you _not _recall the ancient precepts every kung fu student is sworn to upon his or her initiation?"

"I didn't exactly get here under traditional methods, Tigress…"

"According to the laws laid down by Master Oogway upon the birth of kung fu on the apprenticeship between master and student, we owe our master the utmost unwavering obedience and reverence. We are to regard him with the respect we would show our mothers and fathers. Such impudence as you showed him today is unforgivable. And if you had any humility for what we strive to perfect in our years of training, you would not call yourself worthy to be a student of kung fu. Don't you get that's what happened with Tai Lung? He betrayed his master and Shifu had no _choice_ but to expel him from his apprenticeship!"

Po's ears flattened at this, but he could only sit there and let Tigress revile him.

"You wanted to know the repercussions, Po… The moment we get back to the Jade Palace, you will no longer be Shifu's student."

Crush.

"Know that you have violated the very code of honor each and every one of us has been bound to since our first day as students," she hissed. "And if you want to make it up to Shifu at all, you're going to have to show him in your last days as his pupil that you are willing to stand by his side against Izotakeshi."

Po's brow wrinkled a little at this, and he stared at the snow with pursed lips. The last thing in the world he wanted to give up on was kung fu, a passion he'd had all his life…yet his father was the last _person_ he wanted to give up on now.

"…Tigress…I can't. I can't fight him, much less kill him…"

"…Then leave," came the quiet, stone-faced reply. "If you're not going to help us with that ambush, nobody's twisting your arm. After all, you've broken both our code of honor _and_ Master Shifu's heart. What's one more betrayal to us all…"

Eyes lowering back to the ground, Po could hear her footsteps slowly growing distant. Her parting words came in a low voice that dripped with scorn.

"Go home, Po…"

_**TBC…**_


	17. Foolish Cub

_I don't say it nearly enough – but thanks so much to all of my readers and reviewers out there! You guys' feedback is what keeps me going!_

_Izotakeshi, Hei Long, Ju-long (c) me!_

_All other characters (c) Dreamworks Animation_

_Chapter 17: Foolish Cub_

The grandmaster really wasn't sure whose rear end to kick – Po's or his own ring-tailed posterior.

The red panda had found a secluded crag that reminded him of his personal spot under the peach tree. In this case, it was a bare-branched Dragon Spruce overlooking the vast mountain range, high above the tea village. Viper was going to drag him off if she found him up here…yet it was where he needed to be right now – alone with his thoughts and the silence.

That poor panda… That poor, _stupid_, hopeless boy. Wanting freedom for his father so badly, he'd throw everything away to gain it. What's all the more dangerous, with a weapon he didn't even know how to use…

The next part of his training – if such existed – would have been to start teaching the boy to realize his strength and to obtain full control of it. Po had abilities, even a talent in kung fu that had been hidden until Oogway had encouraged him and Shifu to bring it out… But his actual strength only really came out when he was distracted – when he didn't even know he was using it. Distracted by anything, be it food or the desperate urge to protect his murderous father.

Now that that power was out, Po – simple-minded, genuine Po – had every ability to seriously injure someone if he wasn't careful. He was still a bear… And in being so, he had all the inherent ferocity and sheer strength of one. Now that Shifu thought about it, Po technically wasn't just fat and out-of-shape. Out-of-shape, he genuinely was, but not fat. He was just as big as any young male panda of his age. And through his training – through his gradual realization of his hidden abilities and wisdom – he was looking more and more like a Dragon Warrior each day.

And now, now he'd learned everything in the worst possible time to do so. He knew that he had been recruited into this quest of hunting down and defeating his own blood. He knew that his master had lied to him when he said that Izo had killed his parents, and now probably hated him for it.

_It wasn't all a lie,_ Shifu growled in his head. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against Oogway's staff. _Chang did die trying to save you, you foolish cub… Were he not so determined to protect you, he wouldn't have gone with Ju-long… And Izotakeshi did kill him…when he made the decision to give up the fight…_

Opening his eyes once more, he gazed out across the snowcaps. His students would be waiting for him, and they had to move within the next couple of hours if they were planning to reach Ju-long's base by the next sunset.

It took a faltered step and a bit of balance help from his master's staff, but Shifu was soon making his steady way back. Upon returning to the camp, he instantly felt a restlessness in the air. He'd expected his students to be back in their tents sleeping, yet every one of them – minus one – were gathered outside. Once he realized who it was that was missing, he was instantly alert. His students quickly turned to face him upon hearing the crunch of the snow under his feet.

"I thought you would all be sleeping," he frowned, looking around. "And where's Po?"

"…W-We don't know, Master…" Crane lowered his head meekly.

"What?"

"H-He's gone…" Viper's brow was in its worried crease. "Just up and left."

"…Wh-Where? When?"

"H-He put on the hot water a-and prepared the tea the doctor prescribed for you… W-We looked away for just a moment and next time we looked, he w-was gone!"

The grandmaster thought quickly, immediately fearing the worst. "Crane," he turned to his avian student. "Scout a circle around the mountain to see if he's…" He took note of the wing that was still wrapped deftly in bandages. "…Ah, I forgot…"

In the confusion of the moment, Viper was the only one to notice Tigress's stoic gaze towards the ground.

"Did he leave a note? Some clue as to where he's gone?"

Crane glanced down at the knapsack and bedroll at his feet, the only proof of the panda they had left. "Well, considering he left his bags, I _think_ we can assume he's not headed towards home…at least, unless he's dumber than we thought."

Shifu shook his head, looking around and noticing that there weren't even footprints to follow. "He may be foolish, but he's not dumb."

"We must reach Ju-long's base by sunset, Master…" Tigress spoke up for the first time that night.

"Yes, I know… We'll give him a few more minutes. If I know Po, he'll be back to eat. For now, let us at least prepare to go. He'll be along…"

Acknowledging their master, the Five saluted and turned to roll up camp. Shifu cast a glance across the mountains, scanning about for any trace of black and white. _For your own safety, Po…don't make any more foolish decisions…_

The utter silence that had fallen over the camp didn't nearly amount to the eerie air and wind that Po had found himself in the middle of. While traveling with the group, there had always been something of an ambience…the crunch of fellow footsteps, the occasional navigation or scolding from Shifu to keep up. It wasn't until now – in this strange solitude – did the young Dragon Warrior realize how vague and lifeless these mountains were.

Buffeted by the intermittent harsh winds, Po pulled the collar of his coat up a bit more and checked his progress. Between the sweep of a branch and his feet, he had so far managed to hide the brunt of his tracks. As he did this, he rubbed his throat a little. It was still a bit sore from getting hammered by Shifu.

But it had been nothing more than he had deserved. How was it that he didn't realize he was that close to killing Shifu? If Tigress hadn't stopped him…

That shiver ran straight down to the bottom of his bear spine. Part of him argued to turn around and return to his master, to promise that he was still loyal to their cause. But the better part of him, to some annoyance, pressed him on through the chill. _I'm doing the right thing, _he persisted. _I am!_

_Pffft. I think that's what you want to believe. Review some stuff, dummy. You almost got your master killed and now you're adding insult to injury by dumping him and everyone for a guy you don't even know is as nice as you want him to be… Genius of the YEAR, Po._

_Shut up, stupid voice! That "guy" saved my life!_

_You shut up! And for the record, stop being so selfish! Think about some of the other people you owe yourself to! What about Shifu? And the Five? And your own mom?_

…His mother…she was probably so disappointed in him… She had laid down her very life to see that he lived his…and here he had pretty much thrown it away. But she'd understand…wouldn't she? She'd have wanted for her husband and son to stick together in her absence, to be there for each other endlessly, to be a family no matter what, right?

The young Dragon Warrior stopped to look at his bleached surroundings, letting out a cloud of breath.

_I don't even know what I'm doing anymore…_

Just then, a sudden blur of motion on the slopes above abruptly caused him to leap nearly a foot in the air and swerve into fighting stance. He blinked, striving to make out the small form.

It was a little gray fox. He was a soldier of Ju-long all right, based on the medallion around his neck, and he was studying Po with a suspicious yet calm glare.

_Hey, it's just one guy… Shouldn't be too hard to handle…_

"H-Hey, you!" Po tried for the authoritative edge. "Come down here, I-I need to talk to ya!"

At first, the fox seemed compliant. He quietly took a step forward down the hill – yet Po immediately sensed something was wrong. One, two steps the fox took before stopping. Then a second warrior, a wolf, came up into view beside him.

Then there were five of them.

Then ten.

Then twenty.

Then thirty-five.

Fifty. _Fifty_ marauders now had completely encircled him, leaving no gaps for escape whatsoever. Po stood in the same ready stance with his paws up and ready to strike. But even he knew that he was facing the impossible odds here. He was determined, however, to not let them see his fear.

And he was failing miserably.

"If it isn't the prodigal son…" A certain large cat slunk into view like a snake.

"…A-All right," Po quickly put on his poker face. "I'm not here to play games, give us _back_ the Sword of Heroes, Hei!" he demanded, cutting straight to the point.

_Guh, _hate_ that name!_

"Mm…I'm awfully sorry, Dragon Warrior, I don't have it… It's at our…conveniently close base camp," the tigard gave a scheming sneer. "Commander Izotakeshi has reclaimed it."

_Well…if it's with Dad, it should be easy…well, easier…to get back._

"Uh…okay…um…I-I request, uh…an audience…with your commander."

"Are you here alone?" Hei Long inquired.

"Um…yes." Po put no thought into what he had just said. "A-Anyways, I have a plan that'll be beneficial to both of us, Mr. Hei… If we plan accordingly, it'll work out so nobody can get hurt. I just need Da…er, Mr. Izotakeshi…to return the Sword of Heroes. If he does, I will personally convince Grandmaster Shifu to…uh, chill out. S-So…take me to your commander, my fine…uh…sirs?"

Incredulous eyebrows were raised about the gathering before they burst out in uproarious laughter. "I couldn't have planned this better if I tried…" Hei raised an eyebrow, his laughter subsiding and his smile bordering the edge of creepy. "The Dragon Warrior alone, vulnerable, not quite as smart as I thought… His allies far away, and our base camp practically next door. And to pull it all together, the opportunity to make the Grandmaster an offer he can't resist… A small trade in exchange for our right to keep the sword."

"…Trade it for what?"

A corner of the tigard's mouth crept up a little. "That's why we're not going to liberate you of your limbs…yet."

_...Oh, snap._

"N-No, no, hey, whoa, wait! I jus—!" Po gave a startled jump as a Ju-long wolverine dropped onto a rock by his head, grinning and snarling and flashing his hypnotically long fangs while his cohorts ascended on the poor panda.

"Gently, now…" Hei hissed. "Handle him gently… The commander has special plans for you, Dragon Warrior."

"…Which are…?"

"You'll find out…soon enough."

At that, Po again heard the spitting snarl of the wolverine behind him. Then everything happened so fast that he only had enough time to turn around and make out the colored streaks of the pouncing marauders.

"He's _ours!_"

_**TBC…**_


	18. The Glorified Prisoner

_Don't worry, guys, it's still me. :D I hadn't changed my Pen Name in like, 5 years. It was time for a switch._

_Izotakeshi, Hei Long, Ju-long, Lin Lin (c) me!_

_All other characters (c) Dreamworks Animation_

_Chapter 18: The Glorified Prisoner_

That very night, the Ju-long Alliance was having an unofficial party. Things couldn't be better for the gang - they now had the Sword of Heroes _and_ the Dragon Warrior, two fine pieces of bait to taunt Shifu.

At this moment, in fact, the young panda was blindfolded with a red rag over his eyes and his wrists were clad together in old iron cuffs. He was being pushed back and forth from bandit to bandit like a rag doll, spun in dizzying circles by a few of them until he could barely stand on his feet anymore, nothing more than an object of ridicule.

"W-Waitasec, guys, I—ow!" The disoriented panda stumbled about, nearly falling on his face a few times. "Will ya t-take it easy, I'm guh-getting na-nah-nauseous! Gah—!" He was abruptly slammed to a halt when a paw grabbed him between the ears. His covered jade orbs darted about the darkness, trying to locate his captor, a certain tigard.

"Ow!" He yelped when Hei Long shoved him to his knees and jerked his head back, holding him forcefully in that position. Almost immediately, the blindfold was yanked off and Po found himself looking at a familiar form.

Izo stood dressed in the same golden-colored robe with a black trim, sash, and pants. He had the same sturdy straw coolie hat over his ears, the mahogany cape with the great yellow phoenix, and – to complete the ensemble – he held the Sword of Heroes in one paw, leaning on the hilt like it was a walking stick.

The aging panda grinned. "Welcome to the family, Dragon Warrior. Bless you for gracing us humble rangers with your presence."

A wave of cackles spread across the camp. Po winced a little and glanced up at the Ju-long leader.

"Tell me… What were you doing out there in the middle of the mountains, all by yourself, no less?"

_Ha! So he does care! He was worried,_ Po convinced himself. "I-I was just—"

"I honestly didn't expect you to fall for it quite so quickly… However, I did figure it wouldn't take long to soften you up, lure you in, get ya where you were easy to reach… And by the stars, here we are," he motioned out to the gathering before them, and only now did Po realize just how many more of these Ju-long soldiers there were. There were hundreds, at the least.

Well, it _was_ called the _Battalion_ of a Thousand Ages, not the Posse of a Hundred Ages…

"Slept in, did we?" Izo grinned.

The young panda's response was a quiet, yet exhausted glance with no intention of retaliation. He knew that he was supposed to hate and spite the Ju-long leader, but he just couldn't find it in his tender heart to do so. He had, after all, given his life once before for him. Anyone who did that couldn't be completely void of good, right?

"Um…look, we need to talk…" Po mumbled. "Can we…get somewhere less, um…prision-y…?"

"You have something to share?" Izo raised an eyebrow. "Please, share it with the whole class."

"...Ummm..." Po glanced warily around the crowded camp. "O-Okay... L-Look, something's going to happen tomorrow that we all can avoid if you can trust me. Nobody has to get hurt."

"Oh…? And what might that be?"

"I…can't say. And… Trust me, this is going to sound crazy…but you need to give me the Sword of Heroes."

He shrunk at his father's glazed-over glare, and flinched a little as it gave way to a gusty laugh that was quickly echoed by the others across the camp in a haunting chorus. "I'm afraid that wouldn't go over so well, cub," he pointed out. "This crew isn't quite fond of insolent prisoners taking them for morons."

…_Insolent prisoner?_

_Feel the love!_

"I…assure you, I would never insult the intelligence of these…er…gentlemen," Po saved. "And what I have planned will be bene…ficial to you, I promise."

"This is useless." Abhik growled. "We should run him through while we've got a hold of him."

"He is not to be harmed," Izo snapped. "He is valuable blackmail material."

"…What about his arms? He's doesn't need those for—"

"Ahh-blah!" Po yelped in Gibberish. "Arms are valuable, very valuable! Look, if you give me the Sword of Heroes, we can put all of this behind us and if you don't act _now_, then tomorrow morning there's going to be an amb—" He instantly hiccupped on his words, biting his lip while what little color in his face existed slowly drained away. His stomach churned woozily as he noticed Izo's sudden interest. "…Um…"

Now quite curious, the elder panda leaned forward to reconfirm what he had heard. "…Yes?"

"….Nothing…" Po tried to keep a straight, unfazed face – again failing. Yet the narrow glance of Izo's steely eyes communicated that he had it figured out. He bit his lip and avoided the gaze.

"Well now… How noble of _the_ Dragon Warrior to so willingly play gopher for us and supply us with such information, eh, boys?"

Po sweated. _Think fast, you're giving him permission to kill everyone!_

"No, wait! Y-You can't do that!" he quickly spoke up. "Trust me, you don't want to! The Five has allies to the west that can be there at a moment's notice and Shifu is recovering from hypothermia, he can't fight-! AH, I mean-!" He sunk, groaning. "I…should really stop talking…"

He was met with a fond and manly slap on the back. "Good boy!" Izo grinned. "I knew that somewhere in there you had nefarious streak. A shoe-in for a new recuit, the Dragon Warrior, that's great on our record."

"Wait… What?"

Hei Long gave a calm chuckle. "Him? An able-bodied soldier, Commander, really?"

The younger panda then yelped as Abhik took a hold of his lower jaw, forced it open, and looked into his mouth. The gorilla lowered an eyebrow and shook his head. "His teeth are far too dull, Commander."

"Then we'll get them sharp," Izo resolved. "If I could do it for his claws, I can do it for his teeth."

Po glanced down at his shackled wrists and newly-sharpened claws, biting his lip a little. So that's what Izo had been doing? Just setting him up?

_Like Shifu and Tigress warned you…_

"I...can't do that," he said right out, steeling for just a moment. "I won't."

"And why is that?" Izo lowered an eyebrow. "You stay here, we'll be able to bring out your full potential more than that glorified white rat ever could. You'd have a new name, that way you'd never have to put up with him again. Besides, not many people can take you seriously with a name like 'Po'."

_That's your fault, not mine..._

"You stay here, we'll call you...Radik."

"Radik?"

"A European name. Means 'famous ruler'."

A really cool name...but Po still avoided eye contact with his father.

"...Where do you go after this?" Izo pointed out. "Back to your noodle life where you'll forever be known as a traitor to the Jade Palace?"

The younger panda opened his mouth, yet nothing came out. That was probably the most truthful truth he had been told in a while. Shifu definitely wouldn't want him as a student anymore, especially after he'd just blabbed on the ambush plan. And he'd be too ashamed to go back to the Golden Harvest, where he'd be back to only watching the Jade Palace longingly from the ground, having to explain himself to the villagers, and - worst of all - having to explain himself to his adopted father.

But no, _no_, he'd be sick to join Ju-long, an Alliance that killed and plundered for a living. "...I guess I'll have to," he finally responded, though the troubled, indecisive frown remained on his face. He was learning he wasn't very good with hiding his emotions.

Only days ago, he would've declined that offer and medallion like an optional poke in the eye. Now…what else was left?

He was unfortunately not careful enough to hide the evident pondering on his face. Izo quickly took note of this. "Hmm..." the elder panda narrowed his eyes a little. "...I'll give you the night to sit on it." He then turned to his men. "Take him to the base and see that he's treated like…one of the gang. Abhik, patrol. Don't let him out of your sight lest he try something funny... And you, get some sleep, Dragon Warrior," he turned to leave. "We're going to need you for that ambush tomorrow."

"…What do you want me for..." he trailed off as he watched the elder panda drift away.

"Move it," Hei Long growled, shoving the young prisoner forward.

"I'm goin', I'm goin', chill out!" Po hurried forward as quickly as he could for having his wrists shackled. Hei and a small group of soldiers rather forcibly escorted him through a narrow, desolate ravine. It wound through the land like a strange maze or cobra, taking many abrupt turns - around which, Po would start to go one way until he was yanked in the other. He looked up, seeing nothing but the towering walls on either side of him and the small band of violet sky in between.

It was several minutes of winding through this natural maze before they emerged on the other side, walking straight into what seemed like pitch blackness until Po's eyes adjusted. Now he noticed the gargantuan beheamoth that had, until now, been hidden in the shadows: a broken down, weathered Chinese junk ship with shredded sails and a split mast that looked as if it was about to crash into the hull. The orange, flickering, ghostly glow of fire from inside filtered through the many cracks and holes in the wood, beaming out in rays of light that faded into the black sky. A sudden creaking and chunking caused Po to jump, and he gazed up to see a grand wooden ramp slowly being lowered to the ground. Once the edge of it had hit ground at their feet and sent up snow powder, the young panda again felt Hei's broad paw sharply shove him forward once more. He staggered onto the rotten boards of the ramp, which creaked and groaned loudly in protest.

Once inside and below deck, they were met by even _more _of Izo's men, all of whom turned and leered warily at Po. Set among the decaying planks of the ship were mats, blankets, small wood fires, and a couple of small platforms surrounded by weapon racks. These were clearly designed for training, as being currently demonstrated by a boar and panther. As much as Po stopped to stare about the place, he was constantly driven on by Hei and dragged by the others towards who knows where.

Actually, "who knows where" was even farther into the belly of the ship. It was s rank and dusky level, and Po's shanty quarters were positioned right amongst the others. "This was dear old Som's bed," a Ju-long weasel pointed out to Po, "before he tried to pull mutiny on the Commander and, shall we say...lost his head," he snickered.

Hei Long then unceremoniously shoved Po towards the dusty, bristly mat. "Make yourself at home," he sneered, flicking his long tail as he turned to leave.

After watching the troops depart, Po glanced over at Abhik. The burly gorilla was stationed at the doorway for his night shift. He simply snorted as he made eye contact with the panda and looked away, keeping a sharp vigil on his surroundings. Po gave a sigh and sat against the wall, giving his binds a futile tug. There was no way he was sleeping well tonight.

All he could hope now was that Shifu and the Five came early enough to avoid the ambush…

A thick layer of snow had fallen on the streets and rooftops of the Valley of Peace, entailing the citizens to come together and dig out the main road from underneath. So far, few had taken note of the more-than-usual absence of the red panda master and his students.

Lin Lin stood underneath the withered branches of the peach tree in a long winter coat of purple silk and white wool, gazing out at the mountains and hoping that there would be a speck…or at least a sign… Something that assured her that her dear brother-in-spirit was safe. She was aware of the blizzards that occurred in the high altitudes of those mountains and the avalanches that came along with the first snows of winter…

No, she couldn't allow herself to think like that… Shifu had weathered it all… He was _sigung_ for a reason.

The aging raccoon turned to look at the peach tree sapling standing not too far from her and frowned at what she saw. The snow – which had fallen in thicker layers at these altitudes – had buried the plant at least halfway and the cold had made the leaves weak and droopy. Breaking off a thin twig from the branches above her, she cautiously attempted to give the poor plant a bit more of a backbone to lean on.

"Lady Lin Lin?" a voice from behind caught her attention. She turned to look at the concerned face of a certain middle-aged goose, also bundled up in his winter wear.

"Good morning, Mr. Ping," she forced a courteous smile.

The old goose came to her side and gazed off into the mountains. "Any word on them at all?" he asked, looking painfully hopeful.

Lin Lin shook her head ruefully. "None…" she took note on how his face fell a little. "...But you mustn't worry too much, sir..." _Boy, there's the wok calling the ladle silver... _"Your son is in good hands. Grandmaster Shifu is loyal to his students..."

"Yes, I know... But i can't help but feel that something is not right..."

Lin Lin frowned, looking out towards the mountains. She as well could not shake off that something was amiss here. She had no remote clue of what was going on out there in the mountains, they could be on their victorious way home or lying frozen somewhere in the snow. She shuddered at that and shook her head. She had to have a little faith in them... These were, after all, the guys that Oogway had handpicked as the Grandmaster and Dragon Warrior...and he wouldn't have given those honors to anyone he didn't feel could live up to them.

But then the question was: Did he give them those honors and leave them _too_ soon?

She sighed. Then, looking to the sky, she prayed that wherever they were, whatever they were doing, Po, Shifu, and each of the Five were out of harm's way.

_**TBC...**_


	19. Wrong Answer

_Wow, an update already? Well, that's because this one is pretty short. Not sure if I'm that pleased with it. Anyhoo, look for Chapter 20 soon, because that one's just as short. However, these next two chapters are so short because come Chapter 21, we have our epic climax scene._

_DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUN!_

_Soooo, yeah, watch out for a few more cliffhangers. Bad habit, I know..._

_Izotakeshi, Hei Long, Ju-long (c) me!_

_All other characters (c) Dreamworks Animation_

_Chapter 19: Wrong Answer_

As day was just breaking, Tigress deftly brushed through the snow with a paw, uncovering the smallest traces of ash and wood. Mantis was beside her, closely observing the ground, fondling the subtle trail along the grass where a large throng had tread.

"They were here," Tigress announced.

"Or at least something that smelled like them was..."

Shifu led the rest of his students down the path behind Mantis and Tigress, reminding them to be as quiet as possible. It wasn't long after they had just set off from the abandoned camp when they came to the towering ravine.

Upon approaching the first split in the path, they stopped. Mantis proceeded down one narrow road and leaned down to the ground, closing his eyes to feel for vibrations under his small feet. Getting no results, he hopped over to the other path and performed the same method. Within moments, he was leading them down the exact road.

After conquering a few more of these split obstacles, Shifu felt the sudden urge to look over his shoulder. His guard may have not been back up to its normal height, but that hadn't hindered his sixth sense.

"...Keep your eyes open," he advised his students. "This is risky territory. If you hear a thing, alert the-_AAH!_"

An arrow came out of nowhere and and struck Shifu in the arm, making him stumble back into the snow. Before anyone could look up, the tables were turned and a flock of Ju-long archers and swordsmen leapt down from the top of the ravine, plowing straight into the Five.

Painfully gritting his teeth, Shifu yanked the arrow out. It had barely missed his arm instead scraping him across the skin and slicing through his sleeve, only giving him a good gash. Throwing the arrow off, he quickly jumped to his feet to receive his attackers, wobbling a little. Viper and Crane immediately lit into the archers, her serpentine body and his free deflecting wing working to avoid any further projectiles. Shifu dove to aid his other students against the swordsman, and a fierce scrap engaged.

"Hey, hey, whoa!" a booming voice snarled out across the ravine, enough to bring the fight to a standstill. Shifu looked up towards a high ridge where the scarred panda stood in all his gaudy glory, with the Sword of Heros sheathed in his belt and a wrist-bound and blindfolded Po held at his side.

Shifu had offhandedly feared in his panda student's absence that there was the possibility he had been captured, yet that had done nothing to calm the sudden and sickening terror and dread his face now held when he saw Po in the enemy's paws.

"Hello, Shifu," Izotakeshi smirked. "Feeling any better?"

The Grandmaster was too stunned and horrified to answer.

"You're late," the panda added. "Your Dragon Warrior here claimed that you'd arrive before dawn. Sure you shouldn't go back to bed? You're looking pale."

Po's ears were flxed in a nervous, regretful droop at his father's taunting. He couldn't see Shifu or the Five from behind the blindfold, but he knew they were there. Even if he could see his master's face right now, he couldn't bear to...

"Well, for any matter, I'd say this is a very fortuitous situation in front of you, old man..." Izo continued. "I have the Dragon Warrior _and_ the Sword of Heroes, and you came for both, right? Now, I ain't a generous man, but I ain't a stingy one either," he continued as each of the Five braced and prepared to lunge at a moment's notice. "So because I like all of you, I'll give you one of these. Either one you want. Because I'm a nice guy."

Shifu clenched his fists a little. He should've known it would come to this...that Izo had some dirty trick planned the moment he got his grip on Po.

"So, Grandmaster," he seemed to delight in scorning this address, "your sword or your student. Or - I'm sorry - former student."

For a moment, Shifu was motionless, still speechless by the situation a moment too long for Izo's patience. The Ju-long tyrant growled. "I prefer we not be all day about it…" Placing a paw on the younger panda's head and pushing him to his knees, he signaled to Hei and the archers. The bowmen each prepped an arrow and pointed them straight at the blindfolded Po, who could only listen and try to piece together what was happening.

Shifu made a motion like he was going to pounce to protect the young panda before he stopped and thought better of it. There was no telling as to how serious Izo was - if he was that far gone to actually send his son to his death... Yet finding out wasn't worth risking Po's life. The Grandmaster's paws balled once more into nervous fists.

In the back of the mind, he heard Izo's scathing words in the form of those of a leering rhino. He recalled dangling in the air from the vice grip and his father's fixated, terrified gaze, faced with the same decision. He had known full well the risks of handing over the sword to the thieves, but they were completely hollow compared to what could just as easily happen to his little son under the same circumstances. Captain Chen Koto had been one of the strongest and most influential students that Oogway had trained, yet he had abandoned his own duties just to see to it that his cub survived.

If Shifu wasn't willing to do the same - to make his father's sacrifice worth something - he couldn't call himself _sigung_.

"...A-All right, Izo… You can k-keep it… Just don't hurt the boy, please…"

Izo's face seemed stoic for a moment, before it slipped up into a smirk. "...Wrong answer, Grandmaster."

Then with a grand reel back of his arm, he sent the sword flying, throwing it straight off the mountain and plummeting for the mists. Eyes wide, Crane dove for the legendary weapon and just managed to snatch the handle in his beak. While the rest of the Five was in brief shock from their avian friend's sudden recovery, Shifu swerved on Izo to charge in and snatch Po. He was instantly met with the choking cloud of a smoke bomb in his face. Though in a fit of coughs, he fought to wave away the smoke and make out the pandas behind it. Yet - like ninjas - Izo and his son and men had disappeared without a trace when the air cleared.

_Gone...again..._

Master Oogway would've never let this happen...

_**TBC...**_


	20. True Colors

_Glad I finally got this one in - I have two weeks left of the school quarter so I'm glad I could get this in before finals. Next two chapters are a big climax! Expect most of these last five chapters (except the end) to have cliffhangers or the like, since things are getting intense from here. _

_I might actually reach my goal of finishing this before Kaboom of Doom comes out! Yay me!_

_And I realize I failed at the writer's rule of having a reoccurring event mentioned at least 3 times in the story to be effective... Oh, well..._

_Izotakeshi, Hei Long, Ju-long (c) me!_

_All other characters (c) Dreamworks Animation_

_Chapter 20: True Colors_

Poor wrist-bound Po was as confused as anyone at what they'd just seen. He was harshly shoved along by Hei, who was now furious to boot. "Pick your feet up!" he commanded, shoving him forward by the back of his head and making him wipe out in the snow.

"Hey, _hey!_" Izo swiped Hei aside. "Be careful with him, we need him!"

"Oh, shut up!" the tigard snapped, earning a few gawks from the others. "You might as well have just slammed the whole Alliance in the clink and thrown away the keys back there! We could've killed them all and grabbed the sword without anyone to snitch off on us! Instead we get _this _little snot-nosed whelp!" He gave Po's ear a yank to accentuate.

Izo, in turn, grabbed the archer's arm. "Ridding a town of its guardian is worth a lot more than some useless hunk of steel," he growled back warningly. "Don't test me, Long, they'll be back anyways!"

"They might come back with reinforcements!"

"If we keep moving _now_, we'll be well on our way to the Bay of Bengal by the time they do!"

"Then by all means, sir, _you_ take him!" Hei growled, shoving Po roughly into the elder panda.

"Oww! Okay, I'm not a cow!" the Dragon Warrior snapped in a rare moment of boldness, yet shrunk back slightly when Hei raised a threatening paw.

"...No good will come out of dragging him around," he glared. "I agree with Abhik this time, we can at least have his arms for a trophy, but I'm not dragging him around anymore! He's slowing the whole caravan down!"

"We need him down the road, Hei!" his commander snarled.

"For what? He can't fight, he trips over a pine needle, he's a useless-!"

Izo's paw lashed out, snatching the tigard by the throat. "...You will not _touch_ him without my say-so," was the warning snarl. "If you were able to break me to live among the Alliance, I can break him. And I have no hesitation to _break_ you as well if my orders aren't obeyed."

"The scum's right," came Abhik's growling voice. "This whole plan was nothing but an endangerment to the Alliance! Ever since we arrived back in China, Izotakeshi, you've fallen and gone soft! Even in your moment of power, you're weak!"

Izo leered at the gorilla, then noticing the matching glares on the rest of his men. His muscles began tensing defensively with Hei's slithering voice behind him.

"Actually, _Commander_, this fairs better for us. After all, no Sword of Heros will make you...easier. Gentlemen," Hei gripped a paw on the hilt of his dagger with a snarl. "New plan!"

On cue and in one fluid moment, the rest of the horde drew and brandished their weapons. Po's eyes widened, Izo's eyes narrowed while the mutinous hoard closed in. The elder panda's paw went for his own dagger.

Po blinked. _He's seriously expecting to be able to fight them off with just a-OH, SNAP! _He flinched and shut his eyes when he noticed his father was swinging the sword straight down for him. Yet while he expected the pain of the century, he instead felt his wrists suddenly free and the chain cut in two. "Run," Izo growled threateningly. "Now!"

Po was thunderstruck at this. Was Izo actually _protecting_ him? "...Whaa?"

"_DO AS YOU'RE TOLD!_"

"Yes'sir!" Po staggered back on his tail before scurrying off.

"No, you don't," Hei snarled, leaving the elder panda to his comrades as he sprinted on all fours for Po and pounced with brandished fangs. The Dragon Warrior would've lost his foot had Izo not snatched the hybrid's leg in his jaws and yanked him back - with a wolf, a crocodile, and two boars already on his back. The panda snarled fiercely and started dragging him in. The wolf on his back bit him on the neck hard.

Temporarily in shock, Po fought to catch his breath as he watched his father's plight. He then quickly remembered his orders and scrambled off, slipping in the snow a bit as he did.

_I gotta get to Shifu, _he resolved, closing his eyes and running just as fast as he could. _He's got to help Dad, he has to! He saved my life again back there! Why does he keep acting like he hates me when he's kept me from near-death like four times-?_

"Watch out-!"

_OOF! _Po abruptly felt a weight against his stomach and panicked, thinking one of the bandits had caught up with him. He barely managed to throw the form off before staggering back on his tail in the snow. Eyes still wide as ever, the panda panted frantically and looked up, only to see Shifu slowly stagger back to his feet and the Five coming up behind him.

"Mas..." Words escaped him. Just how many times could you attack your master without a death sentence? "Master?"

"P-Po!" Shifu blinked. "How did you-?"

The Grandmaster was abruptly stopped short - and a little stunned - by the panda's next move. He had gone straight to his knees with his hands folded in a salute and his head down. "I-I'm sorry!" the panda blurted. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I ran into you, I'm sorry I nearly killed you, I'm sorry I got all of you into this mess!" his voice shook.

To everyone's shock, he proceeded to beg forgiveness of his crime, for constantly abandoning the team but also how he was only trusting what he'd felt he had to do. He admitted that he knew he didn't deserve to be Shifu's student anymore, and he was willing to accept it, but it was be a mistake he'd dread for the rest of his life.

He then quieted, waiting for his master's response. Yet, rather than the reviling rant he expected from the red panda, complete with flattened ears and sharp words, he instead felt Shifu carefully reaching out and taking a hold of his forearm. "What happened to you?" his master noticed the broken cuffs around his wrists. "Did Izo-"

"N-No, he didn't hurt me," Po quickly clarified. "Master Shifu, look, he let me go! H-His guys all turned on him and he let me go so I wouldn't get hurt! And now the-they all might kill him so we need to help him, c-cause if we don't, no one wi-"

"Po, Po," Shifu interrupted quickly. "We have you and we have the sword, and both of you are safe again... That's all I'm concerned about. We're going back to the Valley."

"Not yet!" the panda implored. "Please, Shifu, _please_ help him this once! I owe him!"

"I know..." Shifu's voice came quietly, understandably. "I know... I know how you feel about this, Po," he assured, which made the young Dragon Warrior pause a moment. "I know you want to help your father… But this is beyond us now. Izotakeshi made a solemn vow to remain with the Alliance until death, and we cannot break him from it... I'm sorry."

Po lowered his ears at the sincere words - his master's voice seemed truly regretful.

"We have both you and the Sword back... That is what we came for... Let us go home."

The panda then noticed that the Sword of Heroes was neatly secured in a sheath that Shifu carried on his back like a quiver.

"Besides, Izo may be going down the wrong path, but he is skilled. He can take care of himself..."

"...But..." Po glanced back across the mountains, hearing the distant roars and snarls of the violent battle he'd just fled from. He'd seen his dad throw the Furious Five _and_ Shifu off his back with ease not long ago, and watching him had almost been like re-experiencing those dreams where he envisioned himself as the greatest warrior in the land, complete with the flowing robes and hat that always hid his true identity. But a whole army? Was _any_ fighter that good beyond his own fantasies?

"Po," his master called back in a grave and solemn tone. "Come."

The younger panda hesitated for a moment, glancing down both paths.

"The villagers need you at home," Shifu reminded him. "Remember you have a responsibility to them..."

"...But I thought I wasn't your student any-"

"Whether or not you are my student anymore, Master Oogway chose you to be the Dragon Warrior...and perhaps we do have your father to thank for that... Now what you can do is make the most out of his sacrifice and take it to protect the weak... If nothing else, let you and your father redeem yourselves in that manner."

Po seemed to ponder on that long and hard, a pained expression remaining across his face. And finally, after a long and troubled silence, he sadly shuffled into step behind his master and comrades.

Izo fiercely swiped and struck and bit as his mutinous men, all while fighting to buck off the horde on his back. And even when he managed to bring a few down, there would always be another wave to take their place in a second. One against 500 - even he knew it was near impossible. Nonetheless, all he could do was fight and snap at every second he could get in.

In the heat of the fray, he failed to notice the one lone figure deftly creeping over the snow behind him, twitching his striped tail and lowered on all fours in a feral hunt. Hate was at its peak, building and simmering over the years, now drawing out his razor claws to scrape the snow.

He pounced with the inherent speed and predatory force of his warrior ancestors. He struck one paw against his foe's throat and went straight for the shoulder that the panda had nearly broken the night they had fought for dominance, brandishing his fangs and clamping his jaws down hard.

Izo's ears instantly flattened and his head reeled back at the fiery pain. A sound between a cry and a roar ripped from his throat, reverberating clear across the mountains. Shifu and his students quickly whipped their heads up at the sound and a deep rumbling that followed not far afterwards.

Shifu's ears were going crazy as the master tried to locate the sound of the potential danger. It seemed to be coming from all directions, even under their feet. The sound that finally did catch their attention was an enormous, piercing crackling sound atop the mountain - preceding a massive break of rock and snow from the peak that sent seemingly the whole mountain plummeting down the slopes.

While frozen and gawking at the snow snaking down the mountain at a deadly speed, Po recalled what Shifu had warned them about early on in their journey not to wake "Dazhong's White Dragon".

The same one that was currently charging in to swallow them whole, he gathered.

_**TBC...**_


	21. Dazhong's White Dragon

_Phew! Now I can work on my Secret Santa for the DisneyDreamers site on DeviantArt!_

_Anyhoo, I hope the next chapter won't take that long to finish. It has a lot of fighting in it. Which is hard to do. And it's like, the pinnacle of the story. AAAAHHHH..._

_Izotakeshi, Hei Long, Ju-long (c) me!_

_All other characters (c) Dreamworks Animation_

_Chapter 21: Dazhong's White Dragon_

"Run!" Shifu barked to his students, though they needed no incentive.

All seven of them raced down the slope in a mad dash for shelter from the avalanche. Po swiped his master up, as his condition still slowed him down.

"H-Hey!"

"Run first, gripe later!" Po yelled over the roar of the snow, dashing off with the others as fast as he could.

Even the brutal Ju-long mutiny was interrupted when they took note of the catastrophe plummeting right for them. Izo quickly whipped his head up to eye the approaching flow, leaving him distracted enough for Hei to roughly yank his cape over the panda's face and slam him forward into the snow while taking off with the rest of the gang. Izo could barely get it back off before he was bombarded with a wall of snow and ice.

"Over there, quick, go, go, go!" Po and Tigress led the scramble for a distant, rocky overhang, the snowy flood straight on their heels. They leapt over the precipice of the boulder, a shield from the snow.

"Up against the rock-!" Shifu yelled and they all followed suit just as the white torrent flooded over. The blast of air from the oncoming rush of snow hit the seven warriors' chests as it careened like water over the cliff edge above them, ripping the fir tree before them clean off its trunk. They all gave startled cries and braced as the air blast threw them even harder against the rocks. Po covered his head with his arms to bar out the deafening roar.

Then seeing several small forms in the distance, Po squinted past the icy blast in his face - at least long enough to see the avalanche catch up with Hei and Ju-long with a terrible, forceful vengeance. In the blink of an eye, the marauders were swept off their feet and buried alive.

The panda held his breath, suddenly remembering his father may or may not have been with them. By now, the initial rush of snow over the cliff had ceased, but the avalanche was still raging on either side of their shelter. Po's eyes darted back and forth across the stream of snow, trying to locate his father. And before he knew it, out Izo came - a black and white mass snarling, battling against the flow of the monster and losing, being whisked down the slope.

Wide-eyed, Po gave a rapid inhale and looked around for a solution. His eyes fell on the Sword of Heroes strapped over his master's shoulders.

And he wasn't about to let those simple winters of sledding and snowball fights as a cub in the village be worth nothing!

"Sorry, Master!" he reached over and prompted slipped the sheath off of Shifu's shoulders, throwing it onto his own back and drawing the sword.

With a cry of effort, the Dragon Warrior lifted the weapon above his head and brought it down sharply on what was left of the severed tree. The strength of the blade sliced off a healthy layer of the stump that took little force on Po's part to pry off. And, faster than anyone could react, the panda sheathed the sword into his belt – a little too hastily, maybe, as he felt the blade deal him the slightest scrape. Without time to spare, he could only wince from the pain as he raced forward with his makeshift sled.

All this time, he had either ignored or not heard Shifu's inquiries of "Po, what do you think you're doing? Po, what—? Panda, come back this _instant_! What are you—?"

The shock of the six masters reached its pinnacle when they saw the Dragon Warrior leap atop his sled and dive into the avalanche.

Crouched on his belly, Po squinted through the sharp, icy wind on his face and steered for his father. "Dad!"

Izo's ear twitched, and he managed to stay afloat enough to twist around and see his son. He reached out his arm as Po careened for him, and in the fleeting moment, the two pandas managed to grab each other's paw and hold on for dear life. Po reached out his other paw, grabbing the scruff of Izo's neck and hauling him up onto the sled. He himself would've toppled off had his father not caught him.

"Cub, watch out-!" Izo barked, jerking the sled just out of the path of a fast-approaching tree. "We gotta ride this thing out!"

"O-Okay!" Po caught his breath. They situated themselves, sitting so that they could keep each other secured on the sled. And with that, the two pandas slid headlong down the rushing slope. "Left!" Izo yelled each time a boulder or tree was rushing right towards them. Then "right!" every time afterwards so they could stay in the center of the flow. They knew that so much as a wrong turn could lead the sled to capsize and condemn them to drown in the snow. Po did his best to keep his eyes open on the lookout for obstacles, squinting again and trying to blink away the sting of the wind and ice that had rendered his face numb.

Another form rushed at them, and Po had just enough visual to help his father jerk the sled out of the way. He glanced back long enough to confirm it was another tree.

"Po! PO!"

Po jerked his head forward just in time to see the boulder they were careening uncontrollably for. He yelped and jerked the sled as hard to the side as he could, though it was futile. The wooden slab crashed broadside into the rock at a terrifying velocity, flinging off its two passengers into the entombment of the avalanche's cessation.

Izo couldn't exactly tell what was happening, except that he was tumbling head over heels down towards what very well could be his death. Just because the avalanche was slowing didn't mean it was any safer. One more rock in his path or one second in which the last of the rushing snow would flood over him and suffocate him would be all it took.

His twenty years of experience in the mountains kicking it, the panda forced himself into an upright position and rode atop the white river as best he could, covering his nose and mouth with his paws to create a pocket of air. As Dazhong's famed White Dragon settled, he was flung forward off of a rocky ridge and bounced to a stop on his stomach.

After a few minutes of immobility, he stirred and groaned. Between the battle against his mutinous men and the scramble through the snow, he had somewhere lost his hat, and his robe was in tatters - one sleeve had even been ripped clean off his arm, and the shredded cloth on his back revealed his otherwise hidden scars. He gritted his teeth, slowly wobbling to his feet.

Now that the snow had ceased, there was nothing but an eerie silence suspended around him. He caught his breath looking out across the slopes. "Cub!" he called out, brow furrowed. "Hey, cub!"

Suddenly he was somehow alone, only the groaning whistle of the wind present. Izo groaned and gripped his arms, muscles sore from the struggle and body not working too well to keep him warm. Looking out across the slopes, it seemed he was the only living being for miles around.

"Cub...!" His voice grew a slightly panicked edge. "Po!"

_He's just fine, he's the Dragon Warrior... He's a _stupid_ Dragon Warrior. Why do you care?_

Muffled, frenzied cries quite suddenly grabbed his attention. It took a moment for Izo to zero in on the slope of snow concealing the cries, yet he almost tripped over his own feet as he dashed right for the spot the moment he located it. Using his massive paws, he began digging fiercely through the snow. It had come up to nearly his shoulder by the time a black panda paw quickly emerged from the drift, flailing about for some ground. Izo grabbed his son's paw. "I gotcha!" he called, furiously digging at the snow with his other paw. "Hang on, cub, I gotcha!"

He continued to dig fiercely, only pausing when an air pocket in the snow was opened and he heard a gasp for air. "Okay, okay, hold on!" Izo dug faster, allowing the cub to bring his head up out of the drift.

In a moment of shock, Po panted and fought to catch his breath. This didn't last long, however, as he abruptly remembered...

"…Oh, man, the _Sword!_" he looked around frantically, jade eyes darting back and forth across the bleached landscape, desperately trying to scope out a hint of color amidst the snow banks. His ears finally drooped and the color drained from his face. "…Shifu is gonna _kill_ me…"

Izo slightly furrowed his brow. "Well…let's just get you out of _this_ trouble first." He stepped forward and gripped a hold of Po's arms to try and pull him out.

_Crrrreck._

The two pandas froze, glancing at each other. Without warning, the ground suddenly dropped out from underneath Po and the snow shattered into monstrous blocks of ice, dropped and swallowed up in a bottomless pit.

Izo had never recalled moving so fast in his life than at that moment, when his primal paternal instinct kicked in. "No, no, no, no, NO!" he lashed out an arm as fast as he could, catching his son by the paw just in time. Po yelped, desperately but vainly trying to get some kind of footing against the slick walls. He didn't _dare _look down.

He knew about these things… Caverns of ice that looked more like the cerulean maw of some mythical monster waiting for an unfortunate prey to drop into its infinite gullet. And once you fell in, there was no coming out.

Izo growled, bracing his legs with all his might and fighting to keep he and Po's frozen fingers entwined. He was already exhausted beyond his limit, and had several bruises and gashes that needed treatment from the chill. A servant of Ju-long was always trained to take control of their pain and use it as fodder for strength and ferocity. Yet it seemed now that after everything that had happened, this was easier said than done, even with decades of training. He pulled and growled and strained, abruptly losing his footing the moment Po could grasp the edge.

Izo bounced into the cavern, instinctively grabbing onto Po's silver belt before he could plummet into the depths. The belt instantly ripped from his weight, dooming him to the cavern until Po lashed out his other paw and grabbed the other end. With nothing but a piece of fabric between the weight of the two pandas, Po panicked.

"Gah-_AAH!_"he yelped, almost falling before Izo braced his legs against the wall via small holes in the ice. Using the belt like a climbing rope, he dashed along the wall before launching himself into the air and sticking his landing in a kung fu crouch.

"Hey...!" Po yelped, struggling to keep his chin over the ledge. Izo managed to scramble over and grab his arms just before he slipped.

"Use the foot holds!" Izo barked, to which Po quickly scrambled to gain his hold. It allowed his father to brace and hoist him up for solid ground. As Izo reached out and pulled the young panda up the rest of the way, Po felt like the answer to all his prayers had finally come full-circle. The moment his feet found the ledge, he lurched forward and embraced his father tightly.

Izo was stunned stiff, literally too shocked to respond. For twenty years, he had been separated from this kind of contact, such a caring gesture. And to receive it again – from his long-lost son, no less – brought a twinge of relief to his iron-shell heart.

Yet before he could so much as react to his cub's gesture, the old panda's trained eyes targeted a speck of orange crouched over the low hill in the distance. And – before he could even register what it was – it was shooting towards them like an arrow.

"Po, get _DOWN!_" Izo's paw shot up to his son's head and swiftly shoved him down out of harm's way before lurching at the advancing form. Po gave a startled yelp as his chin hit the snow and he heard the fierce roaring scream of a hunting feline above him. The momentum of this collision almost made Po feel like he had been in it himself. A torrent of orange and black and white crashed into the snow in front of him, and it didn't take a genius to realize that Hei and Izo were quite literally at each other's throats.

_**TBC...**_


	22. Kill

_Yeeeesh... Okay, so I thought I had this climax figured out when I started writing. But it wasn't until I approached it that I realized there were problems with it. I hope I succeeded. These classes have been killing me this quarter, and the only time I've really been able to put into this chapter is while riding on the bus. I'm doggone determined to finish this before the sequel comes out! I've got 3 more chapters and 3 more months!_

_And I hope it doesn't feel rushed. I really hope it doesn't, I had a hard time sorting this thing out. But here it is! _

_Izotakeshi, Hei Long, Ju-long (c) me!_

_All other characters (c) Dreamworks Animation_

_Chapter 22: Kill_

The volatile battle between bear and tigard came to a crashing halt when Izo slammed Hei to the ground at full-force, stepping back to grimace and nurse the arm that the cat had nearly pulled from its socket in the skirmish. Hei was quick to bounce back, rolling right back up to his feet and staring down his foe.

Po staggered up to try and help his father, immediately grunting and wincing at a pain in his leg. He looked down to see that the scrape he had felt while sheathing the sword was actually a considerable scrape, at least enough so that some surrounding fur was matted with blood. Ignoring it, he got up to help his father. "Dad-"

Izo's open paw quickly whipped up, keeping him from getting any closer as Hei Long ascended on them.

"_Thirty-one_ years I've given myself to the Alliance, and nearly _twenty_ of those years, I've watched you cavort around with what's been _mine_ from the beginning," the tigard snarled. "But I knew," his icy glare momentarily became a lofty grin. "I knew if I lured you back to the Valley of Peace, you'd go weak... Now look at you."

Izo then recalled how this whole thing started - with a simple little suggestion from his once dependable head archer.

_"Actually, Commander, I think you're thinking of an artifact such as the Sword of Heroes... So sharp, you can cut yourself just by looking at it. A useful weapon for a commanding force such as yourself, sir..."_

So this whole thing had been Hei's plan? Dragging him to the Valley in the first place, expecting him to weaken?

The panda quickly shook this shock off and leered at the big cat. "...Y-You and I both know that as long as I wear this medallion around my neck, I am bound to Ju-long and therefore I remain your master and commander and I will _not_ refrain from killing you for treason." His claws dug into the air at this.

"You're not fooling anyone, Izo," Hei hissed. "You comfort our enemies, risk the existence of Ju-long to help the _brat_, betraying everything we've worked for... If _anyone_ should be tried for treason against the Alliance, it's you. You know that as well as I do." He reached back to fondle the fletching of one of his arrows and growled. "Which means that I have every right to kill _you_, and you can't argue with that, can you?"

Izo's response was a looming stance and a challenging roar. It was answered in a second as Hei met the stance and unleashed his claws, slashing fiercely at his face and neck.

For several minutes, the fur flew and the feral blows were dealt back and forth, back and forth, escalating into a furious battle for dominance. Izo suddenly never looked bigger in his life once he abruptly grabbed the tables in his favor and seized Hei by the throat, barreling for the nearly cliff edge and swinging the big cat out over the snowy chasm.

Yet he didn't let go quite yet. He stood there for a moment, taking in the opportunity before him and allowing Hei to get a good look at the drop awaiting him. Both fists were clenched and shaking furiously. All he had to do was let go and that wasted bag of fur that had shattered his life would be just an abhorred memory. This was everything he had ever wanted to do to him for twenty years.

_Kill! _His mind screamed.

Po was completely stiff on the spot, watching the scene right on his toes and feeling like his heart was in his throat. Why was his dad just _standing_ there?

All chaos had suddenly come to a standstill. Hei was completely at the mercy of his panda superior, dangling above the deadly blue chasm like a kitten from a rafter. Izo stood with one paw holding the cat's throat in an iron grip and the other drawn back with claws poised, ready to deal the deathly blow that would take Hei down if the avalanche didn't.

The panda's open paw trembled with every bit of rage and hate he had felt towards this murderer since the day they met. He had killed Fei, he had stolen Chang from his son, and his lies had turned him against Kasem until the death of his innocent brother was the consequence. Hei _deserved_ to die!

_Kill!_

Kill? He had spent – no, ruined – the past twenty years of his life killing and destroying. That had been all that had driven him. _Kill._ It had been the very thing that first destroyed Chang and allowed him to be overrun by a beast that had poisoned his mind for far too long. The aging panda didn't want to be that monster anymore.

Maybe it was that short time at the mango tree he had gotten to spend with Po that had softened his stone heart. Maybe it was those few minutes that Chang had come alive again to be in the moment with his son. Or maybe it was simply the undying will Po had, refusing to give up on him even if it meant diving into a blazing _avalanche_ to save him.

_Kill!_

The panda shut his eyes.

_...No._

_No more killing_.

Then – just the same as Izo had swung his arm out to hold his enemy above the cavern – Chang brought his arm back in to solid ground.

He closed his eyes, but didn't release his iron grip on the tigard just yet. A low growl still rolled in his throat. As long as he had Hei's full attention, he was going to make sure the little rat didn't forget it.

"You..." he snarled lowly, threateningly, eyes flashing fiercely just from underneath the brim of his hat. "I have every right in my mind to take your arms off. You destroyed my home...killed my _wife_...stole me from my _son_...turned me against my _brother_..."

"Then finish me," Hei growled. "Prove that you aren't the coward I take you for."

For a moment, Po's breath hitched - the fur on the back of Chang's neck was bristling, like he was seriously considering the offer. Yet instead, the old panda clenched his fingers around a handful of Hei's chest fur and pulled him in, staring him straight in the eye.

"I _never_ want to see you or any of your followers near my son or my descendents ever again," he hissed fiercely. "If you _ever_ so much as step foot in the Valley of Peace, you will regret it dearly. I suggest you crawl back to whatever's left of that wretched gang of yours before I change my mind. If any of them are left, you _tell_ them. You let them know. _**That Valley is protected**_."

His point made, the panda turned and threw Hei to the ground quite roughly.

"_Get out_."

Ears flattening like an angry tabby, Hei backed away a bit. He watched Izo growl then turn and stumble back to his son.

Po stepped towards him, noticing he looked a bit winded. "Dad, you okay...?"

Hei seethed, now more furious than ever. He quietly drew an arrow from his quiver, yet didn't bother setting it in his bow.

"I'm fine, Po, I'm fine..."

"Do you need a doctor...?" Po placed a paw on his father's arm just as he caught motion behind the older panda. His eyes widened. "D-Dad-!"

Chang swerved around, catching Hei's attacking arm straight into his paw but never noticing his weapon. Hei walloped the panda in the face full-force with his free fist and swiftly struck forward with his arrow. Chang swung around to block the strike, but just a fraction of a second too late as the flint found its spot. His eyes sprung open and his mouth opened in a sudden gasp. Po's heart dropped from his throat into his stomach so hard that he could've sworn he had taken the blow himself.

_DAD! _He couldn't tell if it had actually left his mouth or not.

Chang just stared into nothing, his eyes filled with pain, panic, even terror. Hei yanked his arrow back again, a growl rolling in his throat. The panda gritted his teeth hard, stumbling. Every sound around him seemed to drown into white noise as he shakily sank to his knees. Now he was only holding himself up with shaking arms, fingers numbed by the snow. His breath weakly rattling in his chest, he lifted his hazed, steel blue eyes up towards his son.

_I'm sorry…_

His arms finally gave out and the aging panda collapsed. Not wasting a second, Hei lunged forward before Chang could even hit the ground. He roared and clamped his jaws on the scruff of the panda's neck, this combined with a mighty shove sending the bear off the brink of the mountain. Po scrambled to the edge and watched in horror as his father tumbled down the rocks like a rag doll before bouncing to a rough stop in the snowy slopes below.

Po held his breath for a moment, waiting for him to budge. He could barely even confirm the elder panda was breathing before a quick motion next to him caught his attention. Hei whipped an arrow out of his quiver and aimed it for his wounded foe, finger just sliding to release it when...

"NO!" A splash of snow sharply pelted the feline right in the face, startling him enough to throw off the path of his arrow right as it left the bow. It instead struck the ground a few inches from Chang's body.

Hei whipped around, agitated like any feline would be as well as irate over the Dragon Warrior's audacity.

It was then Po realized how much of a target he suddenly was. With everyone else either unconscious or wiped out from the snow, he was the only one left for Hei to take out. And against endless drifts of snow and sky, he stuck out like a sore thumb.

At that very moment, he suddenly caught something in the corner of his eye and noticed Shifu crawling up into view on a distant ledge. The old master seemed to have gotten caught up in the avalanche and looked like he'd somehow had a rough landing on his bad leg. He stumbled a little, quickly noticing Po facing Hei and Chang laying limp in the snowbank below. His young student's gaze met with his own. Po's eyes darted briefly from his master to his father, a silent plea to help the wounded panda while Hei was distracted.

A flash of the ivory fangs and flaming orange fur quickly drew his wide eyed attention back to his foe. Had Po remembered it, he would've recognized the stance the big cat had now assumed - crouched low on all fours, shoulders flexing, eyes locked on his target like they were lone yearling gazelles. He'd have recognized the same terrifying sight perched on the rafters of his old home, the blood of a young mother panda still on his claws.

Biting his lip, the Dragon Warrior drew himself up and looked his enemy straight in the eye. Countless times now, Chang had risked his neck to assure his son's safety. It was the whole reason he had joined up with the Alliance, to keep Hei from coming after the young Dragon Warrior...

_Now it's my turn..._

Hei lifted his chin, watching the young fighter crouch into a ready stance. "Ohh, Dragon Warrior..." his voice was eerily hushed. "You don't want to get involved, boy... This isn't your fight."

Po didn't budge, brow furrowed in a stern frown.

"What?" the cat teased. "Your criminal deadbeat father wasn't watching all of his weak spots, so he lost the match. As an honorable warrior of Master Oogway's kung fu, you can't deny that."

His ears then tilted forward at a rare sound - a protective, honest-to-goodness bear growl coming right from Po's throat. "You cheated him."

"Please, Dragon Warrior... A marauder, cheat?" He paced in front of him like the feline he was, noting how Po constantly turning to always face him. He raised his eyebrow and shook his head. "You're not going to be happy until I fight you, are you?"

"Not unless the great head archer Hei Long is afraid to battle someone half his age," Po spat back.

With a passive raise of his eyebrows, the large cat only chuckled. He once again pulled an arrow out from his quiver and gripped it, staring the panda down. "I must say... You're either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish."

"...Well... I'm not exactly brave..." Po's mouth twitched a bit. Truth be told, he was shaking in his Shaolin leg wraps. He knew full well what Hei was capable of doing to him, and was one lost nerve away from running off down the mountain and screaming - very much what he would've done (and did, in a similar situation) only a year ago.

But not now. Not when his dad - a hero in his own right, someone who had suffered beyond belief and so badly needed a shot at redemption - was possibly at death's door. Someone needed to hold out for and stick by the scarred old panda for once, and Po couldn't call himself a son if he wasn't willing to do just that.

The panda's challenge was answered in a second, and Hei lunged.

Shifu was halfway down on his way to aid Chang, gritting his teeth a bit at how quickly his energy was spending itself these days. His ear twitched and turned his head at the sound of Hei's snarls, and he stopped to watch the scuffle. Po was fighting to keep the archer's attention on him and only on him. And...he was actually making quite an impressive display, focused intensely on weaving through the cat's punches and swipes and kicks. Every once in a while, though, he wasn't quite quick enough to dodge a hard knock to the head.

_This is his battle,_ Shifu told himself. _If he wants to fight it..._

Yet the better part of him chastised him, reminding him what happened in all the times he didn't reach out to help a student. Tai Lung, Tigress, Chang... They'd all needed help when Shifu had just stood and watched.

_No, not another one..._

Po gritted his teeth and barely slipped out of the way of Hei's arrow, experiencing a fleeting moment of panic when it barely grazed the fur on his belly and stabbed into the air. It instantly came at him again and again, causing him to nearly stumble from constant dodging.

The slashing and snarling from the fight reached Chang's ear, making it twitch in his weakening subconscious. He grunted a little, stirring and - after a silent struggle - barely peeking his eyes open and blinking at the fuzzy image before him. He recognized Hei's roar and Po's cries of effort... He wanted so badly to leap back into battle and protect his cub...

He clenched his fist weakly, trying to pull his strength back together. His eye caught a patch of reddened snow by his side, no doubt from Hei's surprise attack. His fingers twitched. Come to think of it, the snow beneath his fingers was…melting?

The panda finally managed to turn his head forward and get a bit of a focused image again. Now his fingers felt a bit wet and warm…

He couldn't believe it… There in the snow in front of him was the Sword of Heroes. Like magma, the green molding of the rampant dragon was dancing and glowing slightly. _Once the sword draws blood, only the pure of heart can wield it_. Po had been scratched by it when they had been thrown from their sled… And if he had just one more chance to make it all up to his master and son…here it was. "Shif..." He gazed up at his old master, making eye contact within a few seconds. He shakily gripped the weapon in his paw, the metal cool against his fingers. "Sh-Shifu...!" he strained. With his last reserve of strength, he grunted and tossed the sword up to the red panda.

With a snarl, Shifu threw himself into the air and caught the sword in mid-leap towards Hei Long. The archer was startled, yet quick enough to act. Completely ignoring his poor condition, the Grandmaster plowed his foot against the tigard's arm, which he then leapt away from with a back flip. He growled and stood firmly planted in the snow, brandishing the legendary weapon towards the cat.

He lunged again, yet quickly felt a wave of exhaustion from his last grand leap. And in his struggle to shake it off, his guard was down long enough for Hei to easily swipe at him, send the sword flying from his paw, and snatch him straight from the air. Shifu had barely been conscious of what was happening before Hei roughly seized him in his jaws and flung him across the snow like a chew toy, sending him so close to the ridge that his feet scraped against the rock. He grunted and struggled, trying to pull himself back up despite the searing pain of having just been grabbed and shaken like a rat.

This was turning out to be a game for Hei. He'd already dispatched two opponents and didn't look the least bit fazed. It looked for a moment like he might forget the ill and worn-down red panda, but if there was one that Po had to say about him... He wasn't stupid.

He had his eyes on the Grandmaster, glaring hungrily and knowing full well what it would mean for the Valley if its leader was out of the way. And now that he had the opportunity...

Shifu faced the big cat, glaring and snarling right back, fur bristling as Hei prepared to pounce.

This time, it was Po that darted in and threw himself at the cat, hitting him with a _kiai_ and the mightiest belly blast he could muster. It threw Hei back hard from his mid-pounce, yet Po didn't expect that he'd be quick enough to grab onto the panda's vest before he fell off the rocky ledge. Po gasped and waved his arms to keep balance. Snarling, Hei fiercely wrapped his arms around the Dragon Warrior's neck to ensure he pulled him down with him, the same as any big cat might drown his prey.

"_PO!" _Shifu barked.

Po's feet slipped from the edge before he could gain balance again, and both panda and tigard plunged down the rocky cliffside. An abrupt collision against the rocks almost sent them plummeting in different directions, but Hei kept an iron grip on Po's neck. It wasn't until the panda reeled his neck back and sharply headbutted his foe that Hei lost his guard enough for the next collision into the rocks to break them apart. The moment he was free, Po frantically twisted his body around to dig his new claws into the rock, gritting his teeth in his fight to slow down.

He soon found himself on a narrow ledge that wasn't even quite big enough to steadily hold his foot. Clinging to the rock was all that was keeping him from plummeting down the mountain. He barely got a glance of Hei below him. The cat was dangling from a ridge jutting out so far from the rocky wall that he couldn't push his legs against it to climb back up. He looked almost as panicked. Po shut his eyes tight to try and ignore the monstrous drop below them. He'd never had guessed he'd be breaking a sweat out in the middle of the snow, he'd never been so scared.

The same could be said for Shifu at that moment. He darted along the edge, trying to find a way to reach his student. Even with all his kung fu, he couldn't do this by himself. Turning on his heel, he raced off to find the Five.

Po shivered, not knowing what hope he had left but to hang on tight. And with the way the wind was slicing through the gorge behind him, his ears and nose and fingers were already numb.

He heard Hei struggling beneath, growling and fighting for a footing against the rock. The panda peeked over his shoulder, not quite seeing anything but the quiver of arrows strapped to Hei's back.

_Arrows..._

He remembered - only days earlier when they were just starting out on this journey - the way he had seen Shifu use one of those arrows as an anchor, swinging himself back up to solid ground from where he too had been dangling over death. Maybe one arrow wouldn't be enough to momentarily give a _panda_ a handle, but if he could get a small handful or so... Then again, he'd risk falling trying to reach them or getting his nose clawed off by Hei... But maybe...

_Would he? He's not exactly at the top of the world at the moment either. Would you really want to help him anyway? After all he's done..._

Yes, he hated Hei for everything he had done to tear his family apart… But maybe this was that "no accidents" thing Shifu and Oogway always talked about? For all the mess that he'd been put through, he'd been raised to never take his blessings for granted. And yes, he and his father were quite an...oddball family all those years, but a close-knit one - however small it was. And while being the only panda in the Valley of Peace had its moments of making him feel like a freak, it allowed him the physical strength to protect the smaller inhabitants of his home and ultimately led towards...well, the title of Dragon Warrior. And he owed it to so many people for preparing him for it and simply keeping him alive.

And Chang had told him, he'd heard himself of the terrible torture Ju-long inflicted on its new recruits, and Shifu had said Hei had been with the Alliance since he'd been a kid. For a _cub_ to be put through that...

"H-Hei!"

Anchoring one set of claws as hard as he could to the cliff face, he bent his knees a little and reached the other paw towards the big cat. "C-C'mon! Quick!"

Hei hissed savagely, warningly, ears pinned back against his head. "Get _away_ from me."

"Po!"

The young Dragon Warrior looked up at his master's call, and spotted him hurrying to the ledge with the Furious Five right with him. "Get down there and get him out!" Shifu ordered his students, but Po called back up over the cutting mountain winds.

"Wait! N-Not yet!" Green eyes wide, he turned back to Hei, reaching as far as he could stand. "Come on, Hei, just take it! We'll get you up!"

The archer's response was merely a snarl and a swipe at his arm with a clawed paw. The panda barely dodged. "I-I'm trying to help you...! R-Ravij, right?"

At that, Hei's ears tilted back and he stared up at the young panda.

"Th-That was your name, right? Dad told me! Y-You were born in Mongolia, you lived around Erenhot… Right?"

The tigard's brow furrowed, yet he didn't say a word. Po couldn't tell, was that anger or desperation in his eyes?

"Can I call you Ravij? C-C'mon, man, this ledge won't hold me much longer!"

The big cat leered and snarled, seeming intent on refusing help. Yet slowly, gradually, the fierceness seemed to dissipate.

"It's not a trick... I promise!"

Hei stared for a moment, the hairs on his neck slowly settling. Then, to Po's shock and relief, he shifted his weight and reached out to him. He took the panda's paw and allowed Po to pull him up...only long enough to lash his other paw up, grab him by the neck, and yank him off the ledge. The two animals collided, and Po flailed desperately for an anchor again, finding it only on a small, dead branch sticking out of a crevice several feet down, Hei's pull still on his vest. In the frame of a second he spotted the tigard crouch to pounce. Po quickly ducked his head, causing the vest to slip right off, and swung as hard as he could to the side to dodge. He shut his eyes and held on as tightly as he could, a roaring shriek from Hei hitting his ear before it faded into nothing.

The following dead silence was almost a shock to the young panda, at least in contrast to the pace his heart was pounding in his throat. Suddenly he was alone on the rocks... Eerily alone...

Still holding onto the branch, Po leaned out a bit to see if he could perhaps spot the big cat on the rocks below or...something to that effect...all the while oblivious to the bending, creaking branch under his fingers, _CRACK!_

He gave a yelp and struggled to gain a hold again, feet slipping off the rock and fingers just missing the ridge when two paws reached down and seized him by the arm. Po caught his breath and looked up, finding himself face-to-face with a panic-striken red panda at the end of a makeshift chain composed of himself and the Furious Five.

Panic was quickly washed over with relief. "Don't...do that me again," Shifu panted.

Po took a moment to return his heart to his chest - by now he was getting nauseous from how much it liked to bounce around today - looking over his shoulder again at the drop that had almost done him in.

"Come on, Po," Shifu breathed out, helping his student inch by inch up the cliff with steady aid from the Five and onto solid ground. Catching their breath, the two pandas staggered onto the flat surface and looked each other in the eye, a mix of relief and pain across their faces.

"Mas… Sh-Shifu, I…"

"Po!" he heard Viper call. The young panda turned to where his five friends had started gathering around Chang. He hadn't so much as budged an inch since he'd collapsed. Tigress placed a paw on the elder panda's head to see if he would respond. When he didn't, she looked at Po in concern. Heart dropping out of place once again, the Dragon Warrior hurried to his father's aid.

_**TBC...**_


	23. A Slap in the Face

_Hope it isn't too rushed, again. This quarter has its share of work too. But only two more chapters left of this story!_

_Izo, Chang, Kasem,Yi Gong Yang, Ju-long (c) *DolphinMoana_

_All other characters (c) Dreamworks Animation_

_Chapter 23: A Slap In the Face_

"Everyone step back a bit, give him some air," Shifu ushered his students back, coming forward with Po to aid the wounded panda. "Mantis, his pulse."

"Still has one," Mantis carefully felt Chang's wrist with a fore-claw. "Not very strong, though."

The red panda master inspected the wound. "He's lost a lot of blood…"

Chang gritted his teeth slightly, giving a pained grunt. Shifu frowned solemnly. Had Hei not have pulled the arrow out, it would have at least kept some sort of tourniquet in action to keep too much blood from escaping.

Po bit his lip worriedly…and then he got an idea. Rising to his feet, he quickly took off his new silver belt – causing his trousers to ride down a little like his old ones. "Got it," he lowered to his knees again. Master and student worked carefully yet quickly to bandage the elder panda's wound.

"Get a fire started," Shifu commanded the Five.

Po knelt just behind his father, anxiously watching as the injured panda groaned softly and began to stir. One wrong twitch made him grunt in pain "Dad..." He gently held his father's head upright. "Y-You okay...? All things considered...?"

Chang gave the quietest moan, eyelids twitching a bit before dizzily fluttering open. The steel blue eyes, distant for a moment, gradually settled on those of his son just as Po's concerned gaze morphed into a light smile.

His father blinked, still looking quite dazed, before he closed them again and leaned his head heavily into the support of Po's paw. "…I'm so ashamed of myself..."

The younger panda looked up to watch Shifu continue to monitor the wound, pressing carefully yet hard enough to try and stop the bleeding. Po already had tears flooded into his eyes, much to his confusion. Blood had already began to slowly seep through the makeshift bandage, some getting on Shifu's paws, and Chang's breath was shaky and labored. "D-Dad, don't..."

His father gently gripped his cub's paw, strangely feeling more at peace than he had in twenty years despite his condition. "I-It's...okay, cub… It's what I deserve…"

Shifu stared at the elder panda and blinked when it abruptly hit him. "...You threw the Sword, Chang..."

"Huh?" Po looked up.

"He threw the Sword… You actually _touched_ it and you didn't feel a thing…?"

Chang seemed to mull over that for a while. "I didn't really...think about it that much..."

A corner of Po's mouth went up a bit in a bittersweet smile, and he looked at Shifu. "Told ya..."

"I was...s-scared of what might happen..." Chang stuttered, seeming to struggle with these sudden and new urges to protect someone again. He then shivered, weak and exhausted from blood loss.

Po blinked his eyes, pushing back some unwanted wetness that had begun to pool in them again. At that moment, Chang's chest gave a jump and he turned his head, letting out a string of gasps and coughs. This provoked a sudden and sharp pain in his chest, which he clutched at and gritted his teeth with a harrowed growl.

"O-Okay, all right," Po worked to get him as comfortable as possible. "Relax... Come on, just h-hang in there... D-Dad?" He brow creased worriedly when he noticed that the coughing had brought up some blood that now stained the white fur off the corner of his mouth. "Dad...? _Dad_, look at me!" he begged.

His father didn't respond, but rather slowly curled his fingers around Po's paw, barely any strength to speak. His son's face sank into a heartbroken gaze. Chang gave a small, loving smile at the cub before him.

His aged blue eyes closed peacefully. Then he released a slow, quiet sigh, his head slowly falling limp into his son's paw.

Tears rushed to Po's eyes all over again. "Dad... P-Please..." His breath hitched. "Dad!"

"_Whaaat_, Po, I'm not dead! I just fell down a three story rock face, for crying out loud, can't a guy close his eyes for one second?"

Déjà vu.

"For the love of Pete..." Chang was a bit surprised when he realized just how genuinely scared his son had been just then. "Son, I'm fine..."

"Rest, Chang," Shifu finished off the bandage the best he could. "You need to allow your body a chance to heal."

Po helped his master get a blanket over his father and tried to make him as warm and comfortable as possible. It was merely a few minutes before the elder panda was fast asleep.

"Don't worry so much, Po…" Shifu reassured his student when he noticed the worried crease still in his brow. "This is probably the best sleep he's gotten in years. Crane's on his way to fetch a doctor as we speak."

"Will he get here in time...?"

"All we can do now is hope and pray, and try to keep him in stable condition. Let's get him to some shelter."

Between the six of them, they were able to carefully transport the wounded panda to a nearby rock cave, one that had withstood the avalanche though half flooded with new snow drifts. Chang was moved deeper into the cavity, away from the mouth so as to protect him from any harsh winds that might rise up. Camp was set up quickly, though Po remained by his father's side in a constant effort to keep him calm, stabilized, and comfortable.

Several minutes later, Tigress identified a distant speck in the sky as Crane returning from his errand. After several minutes more, an old ram – the same doctor from Char Yuan that had saved Shifu's life – stumbled into view over the slopes, leaning against the rock and panting. "Land sakes... That…is the _last_ time I ever make a ten-mile house call…"

"Doctor..." Shifu approached him. "Thank you for coming..."

"Well," he smiled when he saw the Grandmaster. "Good to see you with color in your face again, Master Shifu. Now, what seems to be the problem?"

The red panda motioned towards the two pandas near the campfire. Po quickly got up to greet the old ram. "D-Doctor, I don't know what we would've done if you hadn't-"

"Yi Gong Yang, sir," he smiled, shaking Po's paw. He and the panda then knelt beside the patient and inspected the wound. Gong Yang stroked his beard. "Stabbed?"

Po nodded. "W-With an arrow..."

"All right, let's have a look. Ah," he seemed impressed by the makeshift bandage Po had made up. "Good call there. However, we should get this tunic off to get the wound clear for cleaning and keep any foreign material out of it." He reached out and loosened the top ties of Chang's tattered tunic. Yet before he could even get very far, he uttered an abrupt hybrid between a gasp and a yelp and drew back sharply at the sight of the familiar medallion still around the bear's neck.

"Doctor, I know how this looks," Shifu quickly stepped in to intervene. "It's a very long story, but I promise that we are clear of any danger... Please, just help us..."

Gong Yang glanced between the Grandmaster and two pandas, befuddled and a little frightened by the situation as the darting of his golden eyes indicated. "...Well...it isn't in my ethics to leave any patient to suffer...even if he is a convicted criminal... All right..."

Po stepped back to stand with Shifu while the ram continued his work. An awkward silence arose between the two before the Grandmaster broke the silence.

"Po... I hope you do understand why I lied to your about your father..."

"...I guess..." Po shrugged, though unsure himself.

"As a master, I give my word that it was only for the sake of protecting my student… I thought it best you didn't know that your father's heart had turned so black. But...I suppose you were meant to know when the time came," he smiled a little. "Who knew you'd accomplish everything with Chang that you did, Po, and it's made you much stronger... Everyone in the Valley won't know what to do with you."

Po, however, didn't look so entertained. "I guess... But I still gotta find a way to explain why I'm not living in the Palace anymore..."

The two of them were then struck with awkward silence, both still mulling over the situation of Po's betrayal and what it entailed. This was then interrupted by the doctor's approach.

"I applied some herbal paste and administered some medicine to ease the pain... But I'm afraid his full injuries are beyond my capabilities... That arrow barely missed his heart and lungs, but caused internal bleeding... That's what's causing him to cough up blood. He needs a specialist - more specifically a surgeon."

"Surgeon," Po nodded and looked at Shifu. "R-Right, so we don't have one of the those in the Valley, b-but we can take him to one of the surrounding provinces, right?"

"The nearest valid surgeon from here is almost clear across China," Shifu frowned. "Transporting a critically injured patient all that way wouldn't be practical."

"B-But we have to get him _somewhere_!"

"Master...?" Crane piped up from the mouth of the cave, drawing the two pandas' attention. "May I...interject here?"

Shifu tilted an ear forward. "What is it, Crane?"

"My friend, Mei Ling… Her brother's a surgeon, a really good one. He specializes in this stuff... He'd be able to help Mr. Chang in record time."

"Crane," the Dragon Warrior let out a breath, "man, you are a lifesaver. Where is he?"

"…Well, that's the problem… He's in Taiwan… In Kaohsiung."

"Kaoh…" Po's voice trailed off, his bottom jaw dropping slightly.

"That's over 150 miles of sea travel," Shifu remarked. "We still risk the possibility of him not surviving the journey."

"Master Shifu, sir," Yang frowned, "it's either that or him dying here."

A deathly silence fell over the small group like a windless ocean. Po stared at the ground, torn.

"…Po?" His master's voice drew him out of his thoughts. He looked up, meeting Shifu's eyes. "What do you want to do?"

The panda's ears drooped a little, and his lips pursed. He glanced at his father, who still shook and gasped for air every now and then.

"...H-He has to go…" his words fumbled. "…I d-don't want him to die..."

Shifu in turn gave a nod and looked at Gong Yang.

"Good," the ram began to gather his things. "The sooner you can get him on the boat, the better. His clock is already ticking.I will leave some notes on how to keep him stabilized until then."

"Thank you, Doctor."

Once Gong Yang left, Po returned to his father's side to sit. For now, Chang was breathing fine. Yet from the events of the day, he knew that the slightest movement - or even no particular reason at all - could send him into a fit of coughing and struggling for breath.

"...Shifu...? Do you really think this is the best thing for him...? Wh-What if he doesn't make it?"

"An overseas trip to Taiwan will be smoother and quicker than driving him across the country," the Grandmaster came to his side. "If he's jostled around too much, it could make things fatally worse."

"But what if there's a storm while they're-"

"You can't live your life worrying, Dragon Warrior... Besides, many of those men have been sailing since before you were born. And I'm sure they will keep us updated on the trip. If a storm does arise... Well, we hope for the best."

That might as well have been a slap in the face to Po. He pursed his lip a little and lowered his eyes to his father, praying he hadn't just sent him to his death.

"But I do believe that you are doing the right thing for him..."

The two pandas shared a quiet look. Shifu then motioned to the Five and dug through his bag in search of something. His students approached "I want you all to go down to the nearest dock you can find. We need to find a ship willing to sail to Taiwan and strong enough to get there safely and quickly." He handed Tigress a small coin purse. "The sooner they can raise anchor, the better. Bargain as you must." He paused to cast a glance towards the Dragon Warrior, who was just converting one of their blankets into a pillow and carefully placing it beneath his father's head. "Po," he called over, "why don't you go with them… You're persuasive." He tried for a teasing smile.

Poor Po looked absolutely betrayed to say the least. "But…" he looked at his father worriedly, and it was quite clear that he didn't want to budge one inch for one second from his side.

"It's all right," Shifu reassured him, in a tone so gentle that it caught Po by surprise. "I'll stay right with him, I promise." He really didn't want to part the two when they only had such a short time left together. But the old master had some things he wanted to say to Chang that were too long overdue. "Go on..."

Biting his lip a little, Po reluctantly yet obediently saluted him and followed the others.

Shifu fed the fire a bit more until the flames regained their vivid orange glow and quietly sat in a meditative stance next to his old student. He watched the panda's chest struggle to maintain its normal pattern of rise and fall. The master closed his eyes.

For all the trouble and gray hairs and potential health problems Chang and Kasem has caused him as rambunctious cubs, Shifu would've been he claimed he did not care deeply for them. He may've made the terrible mistake of turning his favor towards Tai Lung all those years, but that didn't mean he cared any less about his other students On multiple occasions, he'd saved those boys skins in some way or another, usually when they thought they were trained enough to deal with blade and arrow-armed thieves that broke into the Palace in the middle of the night. As much as Shifu yelled and scolded them for it, he'd never forget the way his heart would leap into his throat at the sight of an arrow aimed right for one of them.

He also recalled that his conscious had really kicked him in the tail the moment Oogway had told him about what had happened between Chang and Ju-long. He'd been unable to sleep or meditate efficiently for a few days afterwards.

Shifu's thoughts were abruptly interrupted when Chang woke with a start, instinctively lashing a paw down to swipe his dagger from his belt. He swiftly sat up in bed with a snarl, brandishing the non-existent blade towards whatever danger it was he had felt coming at him. This was a reflex that had been etched into the panda for the past 20 years, Shifu knew, but it wasn't a wise movement on his body's behalf in these circumstances. The moment he sat up, Chang grimaced tightly and clutched at his bandaged chest, sinking down to his back again and prompting another horrible string of coughs and gasps.

"Take it easy..." Shifu stepped in to help him. "The doctor said you need to conserve your energy as much as possible. It's best you not try to get up until you get to Taiwan."

Chang looked at him, vision spinning a little. "Wh...What...?"

"Po and the others have gone down to the dock to hire a ship. We're sending you to a surgeon in Kaohsiung. And before you say it, yes, you _do_ need one, you're not invincible."

He expected Chang to counter back and insist otherwise, genuinely surprised by the response he received instead.

"...I don't deserve this," the elder panda rasped, causing Shifu to glance over his shoulder. "You would've fulfilled your work like any Jade Palace warriors if you'd just left me where I was..."

"Our work is to protect," Shifu corrected. "Po insisted more on that than any of us. He went to some severe lengths and endangered his own life for you. You might not be alive if it wasn't for him... So don't you dare give up on yourself... If not for your own sake, for your son's..."

Chang seemed to gaze at the ceiling, pondering what will he had left in him in his battered body.

"He's confused, and he wants to know… I've seen it in his eyes. You were the first panda he'd ever seen in twenty years...and he's become a fine boy because of the chance at life that you gave him, Chang,"

"Shifu, don't call me that... I haven't earned it."

"Not the way I see it..."

At that, Chang grunted a little and put a paw to his head with a grimace.

"...Chang?"

"...The past twenty years..." the old panda closed his eyes. "...Th-They're almost...blurry... I can only remember certain things and c-certain faces... A lot of them... They always look...afraid..."

The people he'd killed?

Yes... There was still that to address.

"...Chang," Shifu spoke up, "what you did _is_ terrible and you _will_ face criminal charges for it. I may not be able to make those decisions, I'm not a judge. But I can at least influence the jury's decision."

His student looked at him, his face clearly questioning this.

"Even Hei Long knew that you had some redeemable light left in you... That's why he brought you back here... I may have had my doubts, but that stubborn cub of yours has persisted that you would end up doing the right thing when it came to it..."

Chang's eyes had now settled on his bandaged chest and his own aging paw rested atop it. Perhaps Hei Long had won, at least in the sense of getting him to a situation in which he'd have his guard down long enough for the tigard to do him in - maybe he even did succeed in killing him, only time could tell that... But now that he thought about it, no... He wouldn't have given up finding his son again for anything on Earth. The faintest smile came across his lips, a longing but fond look in his eyes. "...He's a good kid, isn't he..."

Shifu quietly returned the smile. "...Get some sleep, Chang... You need to keep up your strength."

Not long after Chang had fallen back to sleep, a nearby noise caused the master's ears to shoot up. Yet to his surprise - instead of a threat - Po and the Five appeared from over the slopes, looking quite excited.

"That was quick," Shifu's brow furrowed. "What happened?"

"You won't believe it," Po smiled, holding up the coin case. "We were down at the docks, looking around, and we ran into Captain Benjirou. We explained what was going on and that we had to get to Taiwan, and not only did he offer to take Dad to Kaohsiung, but he's doing it free of charge!"

Shifu held out his paw to greet the coin case, which still jingled quite heavily with the little golden coins. He smiled to himself. _I guess you owe it to me after all those years of getting me into trouble, Benji, is that it? _"Where did you tell him we'd be pulling in?"

"The Captain?" Po looked up from where he was simmering the last of the cherry bark tea Gong Yang had prescribed to his master back in Char Yuan. "Well, the main outlet. That's the fastest way, isn't it?"

"Yes, but it is not the path we're taking. There's a back route along the swamps we should take instead. We can't risk Chang being seen or for anyone to even know that he is near the Valley. This is shared with no one."

Po turned his head quickly. "...Why?"

Shifu's ears tilted back, as if he was pondering hard. "…I have to tell it like it is, Panda… As he was the leader of the most infamous gang of criminals in all of China, there has long since been a warrant out for Chang's arrest, dead or alive. If the village ever learned he was there, we'd have an angry mob out to kill him if the judge didn't beat them to it first. So if you wish to keep your father alive, you must not speak a _word_ about what we have seen or experienced this past week, understood?"

Po nodded weakly, feeling downright sick by what he'd just heard. "I d-didn't even think of that... So…what are we gonna do when he gets back?"

"Po," his master looked him in the eye. "We will do everything we can to help him. But if he makes it back to the Valley alive, he _will_ face charges for all that he's done in the past twenty years."

"B-But..." Po's face fell. "It wasn't he fault! H-He didn't set out to hurt anyone, he fell into this whole thing by accident! E-Everything he did—"

"He did for his cub... I know... We will not let them kill him. Chang has been my student, and I have not done right by him... When the time is right, I will tell the village that we know the wherabouts of Izotakeshi, but we will give no exact indications. If we handle this right, he might be able to come live in the Valley again with a lofty sentence of a couple years' community service. But better that than the noose."

Po inadvertently rubbed his own throat at that, the mere thought shaking him to the core.

"Now," Shifu turned to his students. "You agreed with Captain Benjirou that we can raise anchor at sunup?"

"Yes, Master," Tigress confirmed.

"Then we should be ready to leave by then, no falling behind whatsoever. Monkey, we need more wood for the fire, Chang needs to be kept warm."

For the rest of the evening, they constantly worked to keep the fire fed and Chang in sturdy condition. Shifu had hardly seen Po intent on such a task outside of kung fu, as the young panda relentlessly did every little thing he could for the wounded Chang. Even when he stopped long enough to make soup for everyone, he opted to take his bowl with him while he resumed the watch over his father.

Finally, when everyone laid out their bedrolls and began to settle in for the night, Shifu walked further into the pitch black cave with a lantern. "Po?" He had nothing to locate the pandas by except for the smoldering embers of the fire near them. "Po, it's getting late, let him-"

The old master paused and blinked when the glow from the lantern revealed Chang - still on his back with a blanket up to his chin - and Po, who has taken enough time during his watch to simply lie down before he fell asleep near his father.

_...Well, no use waking him now... Even if I did, he probably wouldn't budge an inch towards his own bed... Stubborn cub..._

_I wish I could still call you my student..._

True, Po would still bare the title of Dragon Warrior despite no longer being his student, bur kung fu was a delicate practice. There was a reason he insisted that his students train every single day - a lack in training meant a gradual lack in a practiced mind and body. Even he, here nearly seventy years after his very first day of training, gave at least a few hours a day towards meditation and training with perhaps a day off a year. Po would doubtless continue to practice on his own terms, but Shifu worried that he wouldn't have what he needed. He wasn't even a master yet, how could he let him carry such a huge job as Dragon Warrior without a proper teacher to guide him through it? Perhaps he could just let him use the training hall? Did that count?

The Grandmaster sighed and furrowed his brow.

_Master Oogway, please... Had this been me or my father... Someone you've seen grow and change and gain wisdom and make the leap from cub to master... Someone who worked so hard and gave up so much to give it away to someone who needed it more... Would you have followed through with the laws, and if you did...would it have been this painful to do so...?_

Now that he really thought about it... Oogway's selection of the panda as the Dragon Warrior didn't have a thing to do with any fighting ability... It never had. Po had proven - more in the past few days than in his whole apprenticeship with Shifu - why he was the hero the Valley had waited for. Day after day, Shifu was realizing he was learning just as much from the panda as he was teaching him.

And to think Po had betrayed his master, accidently caused the ambush on his own comrades, lost a priceless artifact, gotten himself banished from the Palace...all to give his father a second chance at life.

_And you did it, Po... You saved him... And you risked your own life and dreams to do it..._

_Chang, you'd best be honored to have this boy...this man...as your son._

"…All right, Dragon Warrior…" He carefully draped a blanket over the panda. "You win…"

_**TBC...**_

_Okay, I have to admit I cheated here. Someone with internal bleeding can't last that many hours without surgical help. But hey, can you blame me for cheating, or did you want me to keep to facts and kill Chang off right away?_


	24. Baba

_Chang, Kasem, Benjirou, Ju-long (c) me!_

_All other characters (c) Dreamworks Animation_

_Chapter 24: Baba_

The early hours of the morning - before the sun was even up - found Shifu and his students trekking through the lowlands of Dazhong - progressively warmer and not nearly as snow-laden as the mountains - while cautiously pulling Chang along on a makeshift sled of bark layered with blankets. Tigress and Mantis led the procession, scoping out the path home and keeping a good few paces in front to keep a weather eye out for danger. Po and Monkey pulled Chang along, being cautious not to jostle the injured panda too much.

The journey across the Thread of Hope was particularly perilous. Due to Ju-long's destruction of the last bridge, Crane had to transfer Chang over to the next spire while they all held their breath in hopes that the sled platform wouldn't tip him out. The avian warrior then transferred his fellow students over, and was exhausted by the time he finished. There was then a deathly silence about the eight as they carefully trekked the hazardous path of the remaining bridges.

They then took the regular, mostly non-hazardous trek separating the Thread from the Valley - at least until they neared the borders and Shifu directed the group down into a dense tract of foliage and muddy ground. Judging by the smell, Po guessed it was somewhere near the swamps they had gone through on the way out.

Finally, they reached the point where the natural path forked into many - one of which leading to the Valley. And to Po's surprise, who should be walking around this fork but his doting goose father. Upon spotting his son, Mr. Ping put down his bag of ginger root and ran over to greet his son with his wings around Po's big panda belly. For being four times smaller than him, the old goose could always give the biggest hugs.

"D-Dad, what are you doing out here?"

"Hm? Oh! Well, this, I found this little back path just after you left!" Ping pointed out an abundant patch of green ginger plants. "The ginger here is positively divine, more so when it's in the right possession. However," he leaned towards his son a bit, "this is our little secret."

It was then that he glanced over and noticed the injured, unresponsive panda in the torn robe lying on a slab of bark.

"...Friend of yours, son?"

"Uhhh...I'll...explain as we walk, Dad..."

And Po did just that as they made their way towards the river, where they had been told Benjirou's ship would be waiting for them.

"So that was him..." Mr. Ping looked again at the elder panda, recalling the much more lively and healthy Chang that had shared with him the happy news of his wife's pregnancy.

"Dad, you have to _promise_ that you won't tell anyone about this, okay?" Po pleaded. "He could die if this gets out. Nobody else can know."

"I will not speak a word, son," Mr. Ping vowed. "My beak is sealed."

Finally, several minutes of travel later, Tigress parted a few low-lying branches to unveil a clearing near the water's edge. There by the bank waited Captain Benjirou and a modest yet sturdy raft already in the water, just small enough to traverse the river. A small crew of boars hurried around, preparing the boat for push-off. The old otter smiled when he saw his red panda friend again. "You look terrible," he motioned to the rather ragged state they had all taken to from their hectic week.

"Thank you," Shifu smirked and observed the boat. "This...? I don't know, Benji... Last time we tried to sail to Taiwan on a raft, it didn't work out so great."

"Ha, ha," Benji returned this smugness at the recollection of the cub-hood misadventure. "We re meeting a ship at the river outlet, wise guy."

"Everything ready for him?"

"Ready when you are."

Two boars approached Chang's makeshift stretcher with Shifu. "They're ready for you, Chang,"

"W-Wait," Chang grunted when the boars started to lift him onto a new stretcher. "Just...gimme a second with Po."

From where he had been standing with the Five, Po nervously wringed his fingers a bit and came forth to meet his father. Chang attempted to push himself up into a sit to properly talk to his son, but gave a hard wince at a stab of pain from his bandaged chest and grunted.

"No, d-don t," Po said quickly. "Just rest..."

Grimacing and catching his breath, Chang's head sank back against the mat again.

"How do you feel...?"

"...Kinda like the Jien Yak Clan trampled over me," came his father's rather blunt answer complete with a light smile. "No worries, though, I've survived worse..."

"Master Chang..." Tigress approached the wounded panda with a tiny trinket box. "We bought this for you... It s Dragon's Blood medicine for the pain."

"Authentic from India," Mantis put in. "Tigress's idea."

The elder panda exchanged a small smile with her.

"Fair winds, Master Kuang Chang," Tigress bid, speaking for them all as they saluted him.

Chang returned the salute, at least as much as he could while being abed. He then turned his eyes towards Shifu. "...Old man?" he smirked.

"Panda?"

"So...did you even miss me all these years?"

"I did not miss the pranks, the noise, the impudence, the disobedience, the shallow fights, and the bad smell, no. But I did miss the talented young student that loved kung fu with everything in him... And...I should've told you and Kasem that I prized you as such... I am sorry..."

Chang smiled forgivingly. "Well...you always did teach us that holding grudges accomplishes nothing... Guess now is as good of a time as any to start listening to you..." He once more lifted his paws to exchange a salute with the old red panda. "Thank you for everything, Master Shifu."

His aging eyes then focused on the kindly goose by his son's side. "Mr. Ping...you don't know how grateful I am for everything you've done for my son... Thank you."

"I should very well be thanking you, my friend," the old goose smiled back, briefly gripping Chang's extended paw.

Po stayed kneeled by the stretcher, forcing a smile when Chang glanced back at him again. His father saw straight through this. "...Son, what is it?"

"N-No, I...just really wish you didn't have to go..."

"Excuse me... Dragon Warrior Po?" Benjirou called from the bank.

Po put a paw up. "Yeah, I know, just please give us one more-"

"Young one..." the old otter interrupted. "There is room on the ship for one more...if you wish to come."

Po and Chang both blinked, exchanging looks. "...Wh-What, like...forever?"

"However long Master Chang is to remain in Taiwan, I suppose."

"A-About that..." the elder panda spoke up when Po sent him a questioning glance. "I...think it would be best for me to stay away from the Valley for a while... People don't trust me here, and they have a right not to... So...well, once I get back on my feet and all, I'll probably try to settle in Kaohsiung... I'll make a living down there somehow...tea farming or something."

Po nodded, though it was half-hearted.

"...But I'd love it if you did come with me... We have a lot of catching up to do."

The young panda lifted eyes to meet his, a longing but dithery unease across his face. He glanced up at the awaiting boat and its small crew. He then looked over at Shifu and the Five, desperate for some kind of guidance.

"This is your choice, Dragon Warrior," Shifu replied, a gentle smile coming across his features. The love in Mr. Ping s eyes said the same.

The young panda's jade green orbs turned to gaze down at the ground. _Dragon Warrior..._ Po had long since learned that it was more than just a flashy title to intimidate bandits and awe youngsters. It meant so much more. It meant that he had a responsibility to the people in the village... He was their guardian and protector, and they depended on him as such.

He wanted to go with his dad, he _really_ wanted to go with his dad...

"I... Dad, I-I can't., I h-have to... I-I mean, I want to, but..."

"It s all right..." Chang's understanding voice came. "Your heart is here, Po, that's where it should stay..."

His son pursed his lips a little, nodding and resisting the oncoming wetness to his eyes. "M-Maybe...that much more weight off the ship will m-make it sail a little faster?" he barely cracked a grin.

His father chuckled at that. Then, with a bit of a struggle due to his injuries, he shakily gripped the flint medallion around his neck. He tiredly pulled it off and gently placed it in Po s paw. "Take it..." he said. He then added with a weak smile, "I don t think I'll need it anymore."

Po couldn t help but wonder what he meant by that... Whether he was saying that he was no longer bound to Ju-long because he had changed for the better, or that it didn t matter if he was still bound to Ju-long because he was about to die anyway.

"...Y-You come back soon," Po forced a smile. "I'm not doing my capping ceremony without you. You're traditionally the host, you know."

Chang smiled back. He was indeed. The father of the boy to be capped was always the host of the ceremony, and the honored one to carry out the capping itself. "Wouldn't miss it for all the yuan in the world... But you're sure that shouldn't be Mr. Ping's job?"

"Oh, we already discussed that," Ping chipped in. "It's because of you that he's even lived to become a man, my friend, the capping honor should be yours. I'll be assuming the father-of-the-groom responsibilities when and _if_ this cub of ours ever gets his own wedding."

Po blushed at that. "Y-Yeah..."

"Speaking of which, son," Chang looked at him, "promise me one thing..."

"...Yes...?"

"I want grandkids by the time I get back."

"D-Dad...!"

Chang smirked. "All right, all right, fine... A potential daughter-in-law then, at least."

The Dragon Warrior's face had never been quite so red. Two dads now to mercilessly tease him, how fun. "I-I'll be on the lookout..." He grinned awkwardly. "I-I'll be around the noodle shop a lot more often now...like I used to...s-so I'll come across a few girls in that time, I'm sure..."

Ah, yes... Banishment from the Palace, he'd forgotten that little gem...

"...Well..." his master piped up, drawing their attention, "speaking of which...the way I see it...until Po has his capping ceremony, he is still considered a child. Therefore, he must be at least given a proper roof over his head as well as the chance to continue his education. With the consent of the boy's father...s...I'd like that roof to once more be the Jade Palace's."

Shifu and his young student shared a look, in which a corner of the latter's mouth crept up in a humble smile.

At that moment, Benjirou approached. "Dragon Warrior? I'm sorry... We cannot wait any longer."

"Y-Yeah, I know..." Po brushed his own forehead and looked at his father. "...K-Keep me up to date on how you're doing, okay?

"I'll do my best, cub..."

After a brief moment of silence, Chang once again painfully tried to sit up in order to give his son a proper goodbye. This time, Tigress and Monkey allowed him his stubbornness and proceeded to help him. In a typical manly fashion, Chang regained his dignity in spite of his injury and held his paw out to his son. Po silently returned the formality until the swell in his chest just became too much to stand. He wrapped his arms around his baba's neck, burying his face against the coarse hairs like a cub. And - although it still felt a bit awkward - Chang returned the affectionate gesture. And though out-of-practice, the embrace slowly became tighter.

Then to Chang's shock - for the first time in twenty years - he felt the sensation of warm water pooling in his eyes and finding its way down through the white hairs of his cheek. The strange weight of emotion he felt on his chest seemed almost alien to him, though it seemed to slowly chip away the rock shell that had weighed down his heart for longer than he cared to remember.

From where Shifu and the others stood, they could tell that something was being said between the two pandas in this embrace, yet it was hard to tell what from the hushed tones and somewhat broken voices.

After a moment, three boars stepped forward. "Sir?"

Giving his eyes a quick wipe as he stood, Po stepped back to watch them carefully lift the stretcher. Chang grunted painfully at the slight jostle. "P-Please be careful," his son implored.

Benjirou turned to look at the boy, realizing his concern. "Dragon Warrior, I assure you my men are among the finest, and I appointed an excellent physician to keep your father in stable condition during the journey," he smiled. "We'll watch out for him, son, you have my solemn vow."

"I trust Benjirou with my life, Po," Shifu confirmed. "He's in good hands."

The three boars carried Chang to a canvas-shaded area towards the center of the deck, securing the stretcher for limited jostle from the swaying of the boat. An extra blanket was also draped over the panda for protection from the sea breeze. As they prepared to shove off, Chang managed to barely open one eye and catch one more glimpse of his son. Smiling ever so slightly in his weak state, he lifted his paw just enough to give a goodbye.

The boat bell sounded and one of the boars released the rope from where it had anchored the transport to a tree. A single sail was raised, and the boat was soon drifting down the widening river.

Chang closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the Far Eastern air kissed with the scents of peach blossoms and the fruit of the Persian lilac trees. He prayed with all he was worth that it wouldn't be the last time he got to breathe the air of his beloved homeland. He glanced up to meet the eyes of a kindly doctor gazelle who proceeded to carefully slip a soft pillow underneath the elder panda's head.

Fists clenching and brow furrowing uneasily, Po watched the boat grow farther and farther away, growing smaller as it neared the horizon and the broad sea beyond.

"...Come," Shifu broke the silence. "We're not far from the Valley."

The Five obeyed their master's order and silently turned to return to the main path. Realizing he was still missing a student, Shifu glanced back at the young panda still standing at the water's edge. Benjirou's raft was now but a dot in the distance. Rather than repeat his order, the Grandmaster gently and quietly came to Po's side. About a full minute passed of utter silence.

"...Po," Shifu finally spoke up. "I am very proud of you."

And he left it at that. Ear tilting, Po glanced back to watch his master slowly hobble off. When he looked back towards the horizon, the boat was no longer in sight.

Finally, tightly, his fingers slowly curled around the warming flint of Chang's medallion and he turned to follow his master and goose father to the path.

_**TBC...**_

_Blaaah... So tired today I almost didn't get this up. I try whenever I can to work on this thing whenever I'm on the bus. So this is the second to last chapter... Only one more chapter to go!_

_BTW, cause I'm curious... What do you think Po and Chang are saying in the part when no one can hear them?_


	25. Epilogue

_Chang, Benjirou, Lin Lin, Taplo, Sumi, Fei, Gao Jing (c) me!_

_All other characters (c) Dreamworks Animation_

_Chapter 25: Epilogue_

Shifu was shaken out of his exhaustion when the Jade Palace servants summoned the groan of the grand opening doors. They all bowed their heads to him, silently wondering how the Grandmaster got in such a frazzled state to walk into the Hall of Warriors with a half-torn tunic, ruffled fur, and the Sword of Heroes in his careful grasp.

The red panda limped a bit down the great hall. He had earned the few tears in his robe from the many battles of the week and he felt slightly fatigued now and then from his near brush with death... But it simply felt so accomplishing to finally rest the Sword of Heroes back in its proper place atop the pedestal, unharmed and in one piece.

It stung a little to shakily kneel before his father's painting as he'd done so many times before, but it wasn't as evident as the weight he felt lift off his shoulders as he gazed up upon Captain Koto's image.

_My good father... Your memory shall remain here for the descendants of kung fu for generations to know... My students and their students to come will remember your name and the name of the Chen bloodline... I hope that I have done honor in the eyes of Master Oogway and our forefathers..._

Something then welled up in his chest, bringing a weightlessness of emotion with a voice that fell on his ears alone.

_You've done so much more, my son..._

"Shifu?"

The Grandmaster's ears perked up at the voice, tilting themselves towards the palace doors. A feminine figure rushed in, stunning him with the first hug she'd given him in sixty years - much to her own surprise as well as his.

"...Lin Lin," he smiled, returning the embrace tightly.

"Taplo told me what happened...about Benji taking Chang... Are you all right?"

"I'm fine... I'm home," the Grandmaster gave a relieved grin.

"Did you clean those cuts? Chen Juo Shifu, shame on you!" the elder raccoon scolded him, taking his arm to escort him to his room for medical attention. "Master Oogway would've killed you, you know..."

Oh, yes... He was home all right. Ever so gently, the he let his old friend help him back to the masters' quarters.

"So... Li-hua tells me she's interested in learning kung fu from you when she's a little older..."

* * *

Shifu and the Five adjusted back to the normal run of their training pretty quickly, out-of-the-ordinary adventure not withstanding. Poor Po, however, still seemed to be reeling from the week...as well as waiting on bated breath for any news from his father.

On one particular morning not long after they had sent Chang off, Shifu had stormed in on the snoozing bear for the occasional reprimand on missing the morning gong. Ordering the panda into the hallway, he pulled a double-take when he noticed something nailed into the wall over Po's bedmat.

To anyone else, the flint medallion was the symbol of an evil and savage organization of warriors and nothing more. But to Po, Chang's medallion was a reminder of - in the end - how much his dad had really sacrificed for him throughout his life. Every scratch and scrape and imperfection in the rock represented the trials and hardships he encountered, and the dull matte gray of the flint was a reflection of the years of wear and tear the old panda had lent himself to suffering for the sake of protecting a little cub only big enough to sit in his paw. Po had doubtless been sleeping in for staying up all night, gazing up at the medallion and worrying about the absence of a report from his father.

Sensing this, Shifu - ever a pro at keeping the young mind occupied on work and work alone - demanded higher performance from the portly panda. The chaotic events of the past week, as testing as they were, had still set them back in their training regime.

It was during one of these intensive sessions in the training hall that Shifu realized he wasn't one to talk. For a long period of time, he hadn't so much as walked for being carried by his students across Dazhong. But how was a master to train his students on a device, such as the obstacle course before him, that he himself was too out of practice to conquer?

On several occasions in his youth, he had attempted to conquer the lengthy course when he'd been sick for a few days before, in hopes that the extra grueling work might catch him up on what training he'd missed. Nine times out of ten, however, this usually earned him another bump on the head, a lecture from Oogway, a few more days in bed, or a combination of any of these curses. But it had been nearly two weeks since the doctor had deemed him in the "recovery" stage, wasn't that enough?

Only one way to find out...

After staring at the opposite wall for a moment, he laid down his staff and stood with his heels together. He closed his eyes and let out a deep, cleansing breath, sliding one foot back and crouching into a ready stance. His ears twitched for a moment, attuning to the rhythm of the swinging clubs and the roll of the logs beneath them. The aging cobalt eyes flashed open, bidding the legs to launch him headfirst into the first obstacle.

In seconds, the Grandmaster was twisting and cartwheeling across the snake logs like he controlled them, making his students gasp when he leaned just out of the way of a swinging club. With a single windmill kick he was up again, landing weightlessly on the rim of the Jade Tortoise and spinning into a sweep kick at Crane. The avian was quick to act, grabbing his master's leg in a foot and rolling with his movement when Shifu kicked away in a handstand.

The old red panda backflipped and leapt on all fours into the mass of spinning adversaries, diving narrowly through two spiked arms and lighting into the dummies with explosive force.

Po and the Five were now perched along all sides of the course, watching their master plow through the course like an ox. They then all dove out of the way when Shifu made a flying leap for the sand dummy and kicked it up from its base, round-housing it straight for Po. The Dragon Warrior was quick enough to relish back and lunge forward, smacking the dummy with the full force of his belly right back towards his master. And in typical soccer all-star fashion, Shifu leapt into a backflip, kicking the dummy over his own head and landing on his back with a grunt.

_CRASH!_

All heads turned swiftly towards the front of the kwoon where the dummy had been sent flying, eyes setting directly on the gaping hole that now graced the wall. Shifu stood and quickly assumed his usual pose of his hands quietly behind his back, but with the look on his face, he was looking more like a five year-old that had just been caught next to the shattered remains of the family vase.

"...Welcome back, Master," Po tried to hide an amused grin, saluting him.

* * *

Days passed, it had now been nearly a week after Chang had been sent off to sea. For all the vigorous training he was being run through, Po was getting increasingly anxious for any news from the ship. This was especially noticeable in the extra quantities of food Po would gulp down, even between meals when he'd raid the kitchen cupboards with his upset-so-hungry kung fu. And this time, Shifu couldn't blame it on his own ignorance.

But at long last - one night during dinner - a messenger wearily entered the kitchen. "Masters," she bowed her head. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have a message for the Dragon Warrior. From your father, sir, or so I was told."

"Which one?" Mantis chirped, instantly met by a smack from Viper's tail. "Oww! Hey, it was an innocent question!"

"It-It's from a Kuang Chang..." the messenger clarified. "It was relayed to me from a messenger from the river."

Po instantly pushed his chair back, almost pinning Monkey and Viper between the table and wall with his belly as he got up and rushed over to the goose to retrieve the message. Unlike the carefully embellished scroll cases of the palace, this one was just a humble little tube of hollowed-out bamboo, with a much more easily opened cap.

Quickly unrolling and scanning over the letter, Po finally got to breathe out the worried weight of the past week. "Well, at least we know Dad's alive and well." He sat back down at the table as everyone leaned in to read the scroll with him.

"So what does it say?" Crane questioned, only getting a loud crunching noise in response.

"...Po, stop that!" Shifu barked at the panda, making a mental note to remind Benjirou to not send any more of his letters in bamboo casing.

_To Po, my son,_

_ Captain Benjirou says we'll be docking in Taiwan within about two days. I'm sorry it took so long to get back to you... We came across rough waters and almost had to turn back for the Valley. Not to mention that I've been sleeping...a lot. I haven't so much as sat up in bed all this time - I'm actually having this letter being transcribed by the doctor for me, as I tell him what to write - but I'm actually enjoying it. I can smell the sea... The captain says that it's good for the soul and body, and I've never believed it until now. Even if being banned to bed and staring at the ceiling all day probably attributes a little more to that, albeit making one a bit nauseous out here. It's also really given me a chance to think. I shut out my life as Kuang Chang so much for the past twenty years that I had thought I'd forgotten everything about it. But I find that so much is coming back to me when I'm asleep, or just laying there and listening to the ocean._

_ I wish we'd had more time to talk before I left...and that what times we had together weren't so incredibly awkward, involved running for our lives, or just plain messed up. Please write back when you can. I have so many stories I want to tell you, about your mother and the rest of the family. And I want to hear about you and Mr. Tzu Ping and the Five. And how on Earth you came to be the Dragon Warrior... Still haven't heard that story..._

_ I've talked to Captain Benjirou about what to expect in Taiwan... There's apparently a demand for sorghum farmers nowadays. And if I'm lucky, perhaps I can find work as a hired hand once I'm done with this surgery. When your uncle and I were young, Shifu was adamant about us getting an actual job and forbid us from just being lay-around freeloaders that trained every now and then. Every now and then meaning ten hours out the day...so I've had a little bit of experience in the farming business._

_ Whatever happens to me, son, we _will_ see each other again... Shifu mentioned your capping ceremony is in a few months. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it, but you have my word that I'll be there. Even if I have to disguise myself as an Egyptian camel, I'll find a way. I really am so proud of you, son. And I've missed you... Not just since I've left, but all these past years that I've completely lost myself... Thank you, Po. You saved my life in a way that I couldn't have done myself, and when I didn't deserve it. And I could never say this before..._

_ I love you, Po. And it is the greatest honor of my life to have you for my son. I will let you know if and when I get settled in Kaohsiung, and I look forward to the day we can see each other again. Take care of yourself... Your mother and I are so proud of you._

_ Love,_

_ Dad_

From where he now stood on the snow-powdered heights of Peach Tree Hill, amidst the piling snow and ice, Shifu laid his paw on the barren peach tree and gazed upon its branches. He looked out across the valley, where a low-lying cloud was starting to gently shake snowflakes out upon the village and was blowing a crisp breeze up the mountain. The Grandmaster closed his eyes for a peaceful moment, attention immediately drawn by a dash of color out the corner of his vision when he opened them again.

He turned to look at the tiny peach tree sapling poking out from the snow, strengthened by the anchoring twig Lin Lin had planted for it not long before. The trace of color had come from a tiny pink flower bud nestled comfortably on one of the twigs - the birth of its very first flower.

_**The End**_

_Wow... So the very beginning of June 2008 is when I first began developing the story for Origins, it was about a year in development before I posted the first chapter in April 2009. And here we are in August 2011, finally done! Thank you all so much for your constant support and feedback! I love you all! _

_And I'm sorry this took a while. I had a moment of "story senioritis", I guess. I had some discouragement after the sequel came out (IT WAS AMAZING), there was a bit of a vacuum with me trying to figure out classes, I've started a volunteer job, I've had to somehow move my dorm room back to my actual room at home, and a big part of me just had a hard time picturing a schedule where I don't have to work on Origins. But it's done! _

_And I'm not exactly sure what project I'll have after this... I've kinda thought about trying my hand at a comic, but I know I have a few trades and prizes to complete first. And maybe a story with a whole new set of characters, who knows. What do you guys think?_

* * *

Later that evening, Po approached Zeng with a return letter to his father. Just before the goose could take off, however, in came Shifu with a scroll of his own. "To Diaw Yu Village, please," he informed the goose.

"Yes, Master Shifu," Zeng bowed his head before gathering both scrolls in a rucksack and taking to the skies.

"...What was that letter?" Po looked at his master.

Shifu glanced at him mysteriously. "Strictly business, Dragon Warrior," he smiled a bit.

Days later, the ever hard-working Zeng reached a tiny fishing village towards the western coast of China. The land was split in little inlets and a broad river cutting right through the center, where fishing junks and nets were scattered about and humble little huts lined the shores.

The gentle sea blue eyes of an aging female panda peeked up over her clothesline, spotting Zeng from afar. Upon noticing the weary goose was approaching her, she laid down the basket in her arms - only to have the messenger tumble right into it and render himself trapped under a pile of bed linens.

"Message from the Jade Palace for Kuang Sumi!"

After she had dug the poor goose out and insisted that he go rest himself at the local tea house, she walked wearily up the front steps of her little hut and opened the scroll. Her eyes needed only to scan across the first few words of the script before she caught her breath.

"G-Gao Jing!"

Another panda, one about Po's age, hurried over to the house yet stopped just short of the front stairs. He and his mother had discussed this many times before - he was never to enter the house while his clothes still smelt of fish. He lowered the net of his most recent catch and looked up as his mother ran out to the stairs with the letter in hand. "What is it, Mama? Are you okay?"

"Message from the Valley of Peace!" Sumi rushed out to meet her son, only to immediately step back again. "Gracious, darling, you smell like sushi."

"What, from Master Oogway?" Gao disregarded the all-to-familiar comment on that one little disconcerting quirk of his job.

"I-It's from Master Shifu... He says that Ju-long is defeated..."

"...Ju-long... The...ones you said killed Dad and Po and Uncle Chang before I was even...born...?"

"Yes, and..." she read further into the letter, faltering. "And he says that he wishes for us to return to the Valley of Peace to meet...the Dragon Warrior!"

Gao Jing nearly choked on a sip from his canteen. "Wha...? When did Master Oogway choose the Dragon Warrior?"

"I think the better question, son..." Sumi glanced up, "...is why would the Dragon Warrior want to meet _us_?"


End file.
